Death of the Center-Left

POSTED BY: SIGNYM
UPDATED: Wednesday, August 2, 2017 04:37
VIEWED: 2915
PAGE 1 of 1

SIGNYM

Monday, July 31, 2017 10:29 PM

http://inference-review.com/article/trump-and-the-trumpists

This was linked by SECOND, and I encourage you all to read it. It is based on some essential flawed assumptions, but also contains many truths (IMHO). "Death of the Center-Left" is just one part of the article, which attempts to explain recent nationalist/ populist movements - including Trump.

Quote:
There are today profound disagreements about whether the proper location of government should be at the national or international level.

There should be NO disagreement. Is there an international democracy? Do we get to vote on international policies? IF NOT, then there should be NO "international government", because that "international government" is, by definition, non-democratic.

Quote:
There is also the worldwide demise of center-left politics; the fragmentation of national party systems, often making government formation difficult if not impossible; and the simultaneous increase of inequality and indebtedness across the developed capitalist economies ....

Hillary Clinton proved unable to forge a coalition between Wall Street and Main Street, or between the big and petite bourgeoisie, or between Silicon Valley and industrial workers, or between the forces of finance and Bernie Sanders ....

Hillary was not trying to "forge a coalition", she was trying to impose her globalist views on her constituency.

Quote:
Death of the Center-Left

Over the past quarter century, the center-left made a historic commitment to internationalism, a movement both promoting and requiring economic and social modernization. Now it is declining into desuetude [disuse]. It is against this background that Trump and Trumpism must be understood.

In the 1990s, the center-left placed its hopes for restoring growth and consolidating public finance on liberalized international markets.

Oh baloney. Does anyone really believe that TPTB REALLY thought that the path to international growth was fostering larger monopolies that spanned the globe, more competition, and less democracy?

Quote:
A worldwide effort at industrial and social restructuring followed. International competition put pressure on national economies to become more efficient. Economic losers were punished by ever-lower wages and reduced social security benefits. Economic winners were rewarded by higher profits and lower taxes. Policies to this effect were hard to sell to center-left voters, so they were attributed to the irresistible natural force of globalization. In this way, the center-left hoped to escape responsibility for the pain inflicted on its constituents. The bitter medicine did not work; nor was the center-left granted political immunity. In all countries of the developed capitalist world, the number of losers increased until political entrepreneurs sensed their opportunity and entered the public scene.

Because transnational monopolism really ISN'T at fault?

Quote:
The rise of the Trumpists was made possible by the decline of the center-left in the United States, Italy, France, the UK, Austria, the Netherlands, and even Germany, where the losers in the former GDR (Deutsche Demokratische Republik), were among the earliest supporters of the new right-wing party, the AfD (Alternative für Deutschland). Those aggrieved by the accelerated internationalization of their societies felt abandoned by their national state. Elites in charge of public affairs were judged guilty of having handed national sovereignty to international organizations. These charges were largely true. Global neoliberalism has enfeebled the nation state, and with it, national democracy. Citizens most affected by these events had only their votes to express their displeasure. Trumpism took off, fueled as much in the United States as elsewhere by popular irritation at the vast public celebration of internationalization. Economic and cultural elites entered an international space rich in their rights, at ease both in and out of nation

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6STRINGJOKER

Monday, July 31, 2017 11:06 PM

Any "fans" of international government should take a good look at the EU right now. Their elected leadership doesn't have any real power. The ones calling the shots there right now are appointees that have no constituency to answer to.

RIVERLOVE

Tuesday, August 1, 2017 12:57 AM

Constituencies are highly overrated. There should be one World Monarchy, and Lynn Gilmartin should be the Queen.

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Tuesday, August 1, 2017 5:32 AM

Center-Left has certainly not died. It is now called "GOP Establishment" and is well represented in both Chambers of Congress, while the lifelong-Democrat-occupied White House looks either Center-Left or Middle-Left, depending on what week it is.

Siggy, you don't think that it's fair for every dictator to have a vote? That sounds a lot like current democracies, and liberal utopia Communism.

REAVERFAN

Tuesday, August 1, 2017 5:35 AM

There's no center left left. It's almost all reichwing fascists.

1KIKI

Tuesday, August 1, 2017 5:46 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by reaverfan:
There's no center left left. It's almost all reichwing fascists.

And neo-liberals.

Which is a funny misnomer, since there is nothing liberal about the 'neo' sort.

Trump is not the problem. He set himself against the Deep State's agenda. And the Deep State's been heading for WWIII for years.
As for you, you're just a Deep State useful idiot, furthering its agenda. So I hope you enjoy cesium in your coffee. You've earned it.

6STRINGJOKER

Tuesday, August 1, 2017 6:04 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by reaverfan:
There's no center left left. It's almost all reichwing fascists.

You really need to expand your vocabulary.

You use the word fascist in almost every single post and you obviously have no clue what it means.

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Wednesday, August 2, 2017 4:37 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by 6stringJoker:
Quote:
Originally posted by reaverfan:
There's no center left left. It's almost all reichwing fascists.

You really need to expand your vocabulary.

You use the word fascist in almost every single post and you obviously have no clue what it means.

Only a fascist would deny the universally appropriate application of fascist to every facet of world opinion. Plus, anybody who is not extreme left-wing radical is clearly reichwing - it is the only valid term for the spectrum which is not the extremely extreme radical left.