HuffPo: A New American Socialism
HuffPo: A New American Socialism
Though the American people agree that government action is necessary to limit economic inequality, they at the same time overwhelmingly do not trust politicians to do so. When Gallup asked "How much of the time do you think you can trust government in Washington to do what is right," an astonishing 81 percent of respondents answered only "some of the time" or "never." (2) Clearly, the American people are deeply alienated from the government.
It is not hard to understand the source of this alienation. The flood of big money that has dominated politics in recent years makes a mockery of the claim that the American political system is equally responsive to all citizens. The resulting anger directed at politicians is completely justified.
But what results is an immobilizing contradiction. People want the government to intervene, but they do not believe that it will do so effectively. Because of the resulting political cynicism, they fail to demand the tax and spending policies that would increase economic equality. This then ensures that nothing is done.
Two kinds of evidence lend plausibility to the view that a new socialism might be a mobilizing vehicle to achieve greater equality. When Pew asked a representative sample of adults their responses to the word "socialism," a surprisingly-high 31 percent reported a positive reaction. Even more dramatic were the reactions of young people and Black people. Of those aged 18-29, 49 percent reacted positively, 43 percent negatively. Among Black respondents, 55 percent responded favorably, 36 percent unfavorably. (3)
If Mr. Sanders could accomplish only one thing, I would hope he would create an environment where liberals are no longer afraid of being labeled as liberals or socialists, nor afraid of speaking plainly about their beliefs.