Liberals need to be more than doe-eyed idealists – The Sun
By Matthew Reilly
Liberal politics are currently centered around identity politics and social issues, while only adopting weak centrist economic policies that do nothing for a majority of Americans. This is a major reason for their total loss in 2016. Democrats lost their hold in all areas of government, including local, state, federal, and legislative. If the Democrats want to win elections in the future, they need to adopt a much more left-leaning economic platform and identify themselves more with working people, thus encouraging lower-income whites to identify on the basis of class rather than race.
It is a fact that a majority of people are sick of politics that do nothing for them. This discontent often turns into action during election season. Many Democrats and Republicans alike felt disappointed by Obamas presidency, and yearned for a change come election season. The far-left criticized Obama for his centrist policies that they felt did nothing to stop the deepening divide of economic inequality in the United States. While the far-right accused him of being too lenient on social justice issues and illegal immigration. These criticisms are a huge reason for the enormous rise of Bernie Sanders and now-President Donald Trump. They were direct responses to the Obama years, each born out of a desire for change on both sides. Hillary Clintons loss, however, goes far beyond identity politics and immigration. The reason truly boils down to the enormous imbalance of wealth in the United States, which illustrates the need for liberals to shift further to the left in terms of economics.
In January, the Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, held a townhall meeting to address concerns over the Trump administration. She took a question from a young college student, Trevor Hill, who first thanked her for her efforts in fighting for his rights as a gay man. He then brought up a Harvard poll which showed that 51 percent of people aged 18 to 29 no longer support capitalism.
Thats not me asking you to make a radical statement about capitalism, but Im just telling you that my experience is the younger generation is moving left on economic issues, Hill said on live television. But I wonder if theres anywhere you feel the Democrats could move farther left to a more populist message, the way the alt-right has sort of captured this populist strain on the right wing if you think we could make a more stark contrast to right-wing economics?
Pelosis response angered progressive leftists everywhere.
I thank you for your question. But I have to say, were capitalist and thats just the way it is, Pelosi said awkwardly. However, we do think that capitalism is not necessarily meeting the needs with the income inequality that we have in our country.
The backlash was immediate. The backlash to her rather weak answer proved the Democratic Party is having a tough time harnessing young progressives exuberant energy to their benefit. Even more plainly, it illustrates how badly the Democrats messed up by backing Clinton over Sanders. Bernie Sanders is currently the most popular politician in the United States and is supported by a whopping 80 percent of Democrats, according to a Harvard-Harris survey. Sanders, whether people like it or not, skillfully captured the minds and hearts of millenial progressives everywhere and energized them into action. He achieved this by adopting a much more left-leaning economic platform than his opponent, an action which prompted many to decry him as a socialist, though is in fact a Democratic Socialist, which is entirely different and much less radical. He represented progress and change, while Clinton represented more of the same.
Hillary Clinton did herself a huge disservice by declaring herself to be a continuation of the Obama years on an episode of Meet the Press with Chuck Todd. After receiving bipartisan backlash for that comment, Clinton quickly retracted her words and never said it again. But it was clear the statement was still true due to her hawkish, pro-interventionist war views and love for corporate cash. If she had adopted even just a few of Sanders economic policies, shed have done much better in the election. The centrist policies she adopted did nothing to win over young & independent voters who are living with their parents, straddled with overwhelming student debt, and working paycheck to paycheck in low-wage positions despite having obtained college degrees.
Sanders calls for free college tuition, single-payer healthcare, higher minimum wage, and strong Wall Street regulations are an extreme departure from typical Democratic economics, despite being incredibly popular amongst a majority of Democratic voters. Clintons approach, which disappointed many young voters, was to maintain a more reasonable approach to economics, labelling Sanders ideas as great ideas with no basis in reality. But what many, including Clinton, failed to realize is that all of Sanders proposals are indeed grounded in solid economic reasoning. The free college tuition was to be financed by taxing Wall Street transactions. A higher minimum wage at McDonalds, for example, could be accomplished by raising the price of a Big Mac from $4.90 to $5.50. These ideas are not radical, they are not outrageous, they have been shown to work flawlessly in many countries in Europe, and theyre all extremely popular policy proposals. The Democrats are squandering their base by refusing to adopt these popular policies, and are almost ensuring low voter turnout in the next election if they decide to nominate another candidate with centrist views on economics. If Democrats indeed want to defeat President Trump in 2020, they need to embrace the needs and desires of their millenial base, which means shifting to the economic left. Addressing issues that matter to young and independent voters is what drives young and independent voters to the voting booths.
Read more:
Liberals need to be more than doe-eyed idealists - The Sun
- The Courts Liberals Are Trying to Tell Americans Something - The Atlantic - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- The Liberals Were Right: Neo-Nazi Turns on Trump Over Epstein - The New Republic - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Letters: White liberals with Trump anxiety, welcome to the world outside your bubble - San Francisco Chronicle - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Fox News Co-Host Says Liberals Should Treat 'Nazi' Like the N-Word - bet.com - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Bank of Canada, Crown corporations to trim budgets to align with Liberals cost-cutting plans - The Globe and Mail - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Opinion | Why Left-Liberals Are Downplaying Violence In Spain - News18 - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Globe editorial: The Liberals need to show their cost-cutting ambition - The Globe and Mail - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- Superman Shows How Far Liberals in Hollywood and Politics Have Veered From Ideal of the American Way - The New York Sun - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- Canada's minister of health is an unknown to most, but Liberals call her the 'godmother' - Yahoo - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- VIDEO: Will party infighting harm the Victorian Liberals chance to govern? - Australian Broadcasting Corporation - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- LIBERALS FAIL ON BAIL: Canadians need to be safe from violent offenders - Toronto Sun - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- In Trump Era, Gender Gap Widens in Tandem With Apparent Mental Health Divide Between Liberals and Conservatives - The New York Sun - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- Bluesky liberals celebrate JD Vance being booed with his kids at Disneyland - FOX 8 TV - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- On NPR and at elite universities, liberals should openly admit their biases - The Hill - July 14th, 2025 [July 14th, 2025]
- Liberals fawn as emotional Tucker Carlson rips Trump for 'ignoring America's biggest problem' - Daily Mail - July 14th, 2025 [July 14th, 2025]
- Neon Liberalism #34: Are Liberals Losing the Culture War? - Liberal Currents - July 14th, 2025 [July 14th, 2025]
- Liberals need to test US-style primaries to engage with voters - The Australian - July 14th, 2025 [July 14th, 2025]
- Conrad Black: Liberals must retreat from their climate obsessions - National Post - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- Larry David/Obamas Pairing Shows Why Liberals Win - Hollywood in Toto - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- Liberals and conservatives live differently but people think the divide is even bigger than it is - PsyPost - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- Liberals Laud Fake Story that ICE Agents Are Resigning In Droves - newsguardrealitycheck.com - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- Letters: Campus life harmed by liberals who believe they're always right - NOLA.com - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- Jesse Kline: Liberals get a crash course in the importance of natural resources - Yahoo - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- Liberals pick Chantale Marchand to run in Arthabaska byelection - Montreal Gazette - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- Justin Ling: Mark Carney is the reincarnation of the Chrtien Liberals. Thats not a bad thing - Toronto Star - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- Jesse Kline: Liberals get a crash course in the importance of natural resources - MSN - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- Where are the Liberals When Iran Mass-Deports Millions of Afghans? - The European Conservative - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- The Supreme Courts Liberals Have an Impossible Task. One of Them Is Charting the Way. - Slate Magazine - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Opinion: The Liberals launch another expenditure review: This time, we mean it - The Globe and Mail - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Liberals could find out soon whether their rushed projects bill will spark another Idle No More - National Post - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Wealthy White Liberals Reportedly Urge Democrats To Be Willing To Get Shot Opposing Trump - dailycaller.com - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Albertas PCs Might Rise from the Dead. Not the BC Liberals - The Tyee - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Cryo-liberals are still dishing up deranged delusions - The Times - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Wealthy White Liberals Reportedly Urge Democrats To Be Willing To Get Shot Opposing Trump - AOL.com - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Liberals, Conservatives, And Independents Form Initiative To Fight For Democracy And Freedom - thedailypoliticususa.com - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- How the Liberals are eroding workers Charter-protected rights - Canadian Dimension - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Liberals dont want Muslim women to demand rights in the Hindutva era. Theres no right time - ThePrint - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- New polls show the Liberals opening large lead over the Conservatives - iPolitics - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Another Saturday Night - Liberals Are Patriotic! updated with how to help the central Texas flooding - Daily Kos - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Vancouver has a new civic party the Vancouver Liberals - Business in Vancouver - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Liberals Lose Trust on Health After 11 Years - Mirage News - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Newsom warms to building, but will California liberals allow it? - Washington Examiner - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Liberals Are Declaring That The Fourth Of July Is Canceled This Year And Even Threatening To Sue People Who Celebrate For Emotional Damage - Whiskey... - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Peter Menzies: Justin Trudeaus legislative legacy is still haunting the Liberals - The Hub | More Signal. Less Noise. - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Opinion | Memo to liberals: Diversity can be conservative - The Washington Post - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Liberals Are Going to Keep Losing at the Supreme Court - The Atlantic - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Hollywood Liberals Slammed as 'Disgusting' for Bleating They Weren't Invited to Jeff Bezos 'Vulgar' Wedding - RadarOnline - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Forget female quotas, its mediocrity thats killing the Liberals - The Australian - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Fatal flaw of liberals is belief that being right is enough | Opinion - The News-Press - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Liberals want Americans to depend on government - Washington Times - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- If old school white-anting Sussan Ley on gender quotas works, the Liberals may pay a heavy political price - The Guardian - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- HUNTER: Have Liberals had their come-to-Jesus moment on crime? - Toronto Sun - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Random Musing: Why some Indian liberals are celebrating Zohran Mamdani and think he is the new Obama - Times of India - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Liberals In California Are Banning Books Again - The Daily Wire - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- 'Liberals need to reconnect with people's deep feelings of being disrespected,' sociologist says - Perspective - France 24 - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Threat of Trump should drive liberals from the middle ground | Opinion - The Portland Press Herald - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- If the Liberals want to appeal again to aspirational Australians, they could start by taxing wealth | Judith Brett - The Guardian - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- The Weekly Wrap: The Liberals must abandon their internet regulation agenda - The Hub | More Signal. Less Noise. - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Data breach may have exposed 200,000 home-care patients' information, say Ontario Liberals - Yahoo - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- M. imeka criticized the Slovak government after the summit of liberals in Brussels for not diversifying gas supplies - European Newsroom - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- ANALYSIS: David Petersons Liberals are remembering the good times. Ontarians should, too - TVO Today - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Carney Liberals urged to ditch DST as Trump terminates trade talks with Canada - Toronto Sun - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Martin Regg Cohn: History reminds Ontarios languishing Liberals that they need to make their own luck - Toronto Star - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Arab Journalists and Liberals Praise U.S. Strike On Iran: The Iranian Threat Is Over; Trump Saved Humanity; God Bless America - MEMRI | Middle East... - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Conservatives report better mental health than liberals. I think I know why. | Opinion - USA Today - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Federal Liberals reintroduce cybersecurity bill meant to protect critical infrastructure - The Globe and Mail - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Threat of Trump should drive liberals from the middle ground | Opinion - Lewiston Sun Journal - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Opinion: The Tory future may lie with the Liberals - Winnipeg Free Press - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- FIRST READING: All the hidden extras buried in the Liberals fast-tracked omnibus bills - National Post - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Battin wants to reset and to rally Liberals behind taxes, housing and crime - Neos Kosmos - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Chaos over withdrawal of EU law against greenwashing. Last trialogue skips, anger of socialists and liberals - Eunews - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Libman: Quebec Liberals gamble on Rodriguez. Will voters? - Montreal Gazette - June 22nd, 2025 [June 22nd, 2025]
- Hunger strikes! Tears! Arrest! Its been a week of ridiculous performances as NYC liberals chase folk-hero status - New York Post - June 22nd, 2025 [June 22nd, 2025]
- The Trump Peace Prize? Matt Gaetz suggests renaming honor they only give to liberals - AL.com - June 22nd, 2025 [June 22nd, 2025]
- Victorias Liberals saved John Pesutto from bankruptcy. But can they save themselves from all-out war? - The Guardian - June 22nd, 2025 [June 22nd, 2025]
- Q+A | Outgoing Yukon premier highlights renewed energy in Yukon Liberals with new leader - Yahoo - June 22nd, 2025 [June 22nd, 2025]
- Trump Complains He Should Have Won FIVE Nobel Prizes By Now But They Only Give Them To Liberals - Mediaite - June 22nd, 2025 [June 22nd, 2025]
- Putins biggest threat is not from liberals but the nationalist Right - The Telegraph - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- Obama swipes at affluent liberals during rare public remarks, says 'all of us are going to be tested' - Fox News - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- Swedens Liberals bet to revive a sinking party - Euractiv - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]