Politics are Polarized, But Not for the Reason You Think | Robert Reich
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- Опубліковано 14 лют 2022
- In the last 50 years, I’ve moved further to the left of center without changing my political views at all. How? The right has moved dangerously close to fascism.
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I think the biggest telling factor for me on this issue is the fact that universal healthcare has been a major idea on the left for Decades. Truman supported it in the 40s, and even Jimmy Carter advocated for it in 1980. These ideas aren't new, but they shifted out of the mainstream Democratic party in the 80s and 90s, which is why they seem new by today's standards.
I think what should blow people's mind is that with a super-majority in congress, our allegedly left-wing President was only able to get us a health care reform that was to the right of what Nixon wanted to give us back in the '70s.
There's only a handful of left-wing politicians left these days and none of them have any power.
First, it will cost 12.5% increase in taxes. So, would you be willing to pay an additional 12.5% in taxes? Yes, that is a very real number.
Sanders's said in 2015 that a 4% increase would be a *start*. Add inflation and the illegals flooding our borders. And a cost analysis of Medicare/Medicare which is currently a 6.2% split both employees and employers pay.
So would you pay an additional 12.5% in taxes for M4A?
And if employers have to pay additional, you do realize it will suppress wages? So instead of making $16.00 an hour it will be $14.00. (You don't think the stockholders are going to pay?).
Second, do you think it's fair that a fit healthy single young professional with no children making 180k pay 22k annually for healthcare while a single mother with 5 kids making 35k annually pays $4375 annually for healthcare?
I have no problems paying M4A providing everyone pays the same.
So if healthcare cost $4375 per person... a family of 5 should pay $21,874 annually. Let's face it they will use it more resources than a single person with no kids.
Third, doctors in other countries make less than doctors in USA. Do we have the right to tell them to take a paycut? Are you entitled to their services at a discount?
@@youtubesucks1499 Considering that a lot of people pay close to or more than 12.5% of their income on healthcare, I think a lot of them would rather pay more taxes and have M4A than get price gouged by private insurance and pharmaceutical companies.
Health insurance mandate was a Republican alternative to universal healthcare from the 60s through the 90s and even early 00s. When it was actually included as the core idea of the ACA compromise legislation...suddenly Republicans opposed their own idea, in fact it's the part of the bill they still fight against the hardest.
@@youtubesucks1499 In the short term, it might be 12.5%, but with people actually getting health care early on, before things get serious, you'd see the cost go down to something more in line with what other developed countries pay. None of the countries with universal health care spend the amount of money that we do on health care. But they all get better results for the money.
I am a right winger that has been unable to vote for "the right" ever since the fossil fuel industry saddled it with climate change denial. Having a viable planet to live on seems important to me.
You're just a privileged snowflake wanting a habitable planet. What next affordable medication?
Being on the right just means buying into the myth that we are all just temporarily embarrassed millionaires. That money is the thing that matters most. More than human life or the right of others to live it peacefully.
We weren’t ever going to make it that far population wise, we’re about to experience a die off unlike any that’s been seen in human history. Better prepare for food shortages.
Honestly, I've never heard of a US right winger that understood climate change, respect. They also just seem to deny it.
I agree about climate change, but the way I see it is the democrats always raise prices and slow technological progress. If you look at the long term impact of policies the left is either lying about their agenda or they are very bad at logic.
They've weaponized our friends and family. My mom's like the sweetest lady ever and to hear some of the bs that they've got her believing is so heartbreaking
It's tragic.
@@Shad0wolf0 the Overton window says otherwise
We don't have a far left representation in America
@@Shad0wolf0 👍
I believe the culture war narrative is a tool created by a corporate american private interest
A counter to the actual woke movement of holding people with power accountable
Not petty identity politics
But a way to keep power from the people
@@Shad0wolf0 what is the woke ideology?
@@Shad0wolf0 "I believe the woke ideology exists on the far left"
OK trump voter
I live in Canada, but I think the same can be said about here. There's a big rise in populist right politicians that are, now, blatantly supporting corporate greed.
Similar in the U.K.
I will never understand why some people think that corporate greed is helpful to them.
I love corporate greed, because the money gets reinvested into the economy.
@@itsoktobehappy461 Sure it does.
@@billwalsh388 Has to, one person can only consume so much.
I’m eighty years old now, and this is exactly what I too experienced. I have never declared loyalty to a political party and, like Mr. Reich, have always considered myself left of center. In the past fifty years, I’ve watched relatives, friends and acquaintances switch from Democrat to Republican, or from “country-club Republican” to Rush Limbaugh and FOX News type Republicans. I’m still baffled about why, especially when I take note of a similar phenomenon concurrently happening in other countries.
Maybe it's because you've moved further left?
The seductiveness of conspiracy theories? The irrational imagining that they belong to the corporate elite, or will one day? I find it baffling too.
@@oldcurmudgeon3933 No it's not. It's because when you deregulate capitalism enough (a process started by Nixon, and continued by Reagan and Clinton and everyone after that), a positive feedback loop takes hold that accelerates the deregulation and eventually dismantles all government control. At that point the rich own the government, and from there it's just straight downhill to fascism. USA is in the lead as usual, with other nations like UK, Poland and Sweden following.
@@stahlbergpatreon6062 Except it hasnt been de regulated, the reason there is so much corruption, and so many corporations with huge advantages, is because they were able to bribe the dfl and gop politicians, because they regulated to the point of having the power to manipulate the markets. Also, the government is becoming fascist, thanks to the dfl party and all of their fortune 500 connections.
It's been established over and over, the right wing has been hijacked by the oligarchy in the 1980s and radicalized in the 1990s. The left has never changed it's stance on healthcare, the right's answer for healthcare is you're on your own. Education, left wants to adequately finance it, the right wants to privatize it. Law enforcement and civil rights, the left wants police to respect civil rights, the right is responsible for the militarization of police. The left is for anti-discrimination in all it's forms, the right feels discrimination is ok for undesirables. Fairness in the tax structure, the left wants EVERYONE to pay their fair share, the right is still pushing the trickle down theory even though it's never trickled down and has proven to disproportionately reward the very rich at the expense of everyone else causing a massive wealth transfer from the working class to the investor class. The left is the party that wants campaign finance reform, so the rich and influential can't buy politicians and elections. The right says corporations are people and money is speech and the existing campaign finance laws are too cumbersome and should be abolished.
The rise of the radical right wing conservative facsist is the direct result of radical right wing conservatives obtaining power, then systematically dismantling the work of true American patriots who fought for ALL Americans to be able to achieve the American dream, not just the ones rich enough to matter.
And most troubling of all, the dehumanizing of their opponents. The radical right wing conservatives have been denigrating and disparaging their opponents since Reagan made it mainstream, now knuckleheaded disciples of radical right wing conservatives openly call for civil war because they believe everything they hear from radical right wing media.
PUBLIC OFFICIALS ELECTED OR APPOINTED MUST BE HELD TO A HIGHER STANDARD PERIOD.
LYING TO THE PUBLIC CAN NO LONGER BE TOLERATED AND LIARS MUST BE PUNISHED SEVERELY.
Now more than ever before if we want to save this country from becoming a Banana Republic, which is what the oligarchy wants.
I took a political test one time about ten years ago. It was pretty substantial, 150 questions. I consider myself a pretty progressive labor oriented Democrat. Bernie Sanders and AOC are my favorite politicians. I'm from Massachusetts and a union man. The test said most I identify with is as a Eisenhower REPUBLICAN. Imagine that.
Sure. I just read a biography of Eisenhower, and decided if I were anything, I would be an Eisenhower Republican. Imagine that.
“…Imagine that….” There were huge changes in both parties in the 1960s that is well-documented all over. Both parties changed focus. What is more accurate to say is that Eisenhower would be championing Democratic policy and the Republicans have no policy.
@@LouieLouie505 indeed
There is no way AOC and Eisenhower would have much in common.. I would question that test.
@@abbbbbbb4482 "...There is no way...." The point is that they have more in common than Eisenhower would have with Trump or DeSantis.
This is what I keep saying. People say any support is socialism when we are in fact dangerously close to fascism.
The same happened in other countries. The situation in Brazil, for instance, is unbelievable.
This mirrors my experience. I was and remain a moderate, with what I like to believe are nuanced, measured positions on most issues. Until well into the Obama administration, I was a lifelong Republican. But in recent years, the Republican party became so radical that I could no longer stomach it. I became an Independent, although as a practical matter, I support the Democrats.
The thing is, my basic, moderate politics haven't changed. But as soon as Trump ran for office and was elected, I was immediately branded a "Libtard" by those on the extreme right. The political center has effectively been pushed to the left, if only because formerly centrist positions now have far more in common with the left than the extreme right.
Do you agree with the Supply Side economic model embraced by both political parties?
I can respect this comment, I see it on a basis of individual bills and acts being issues that should not be passed just because a party says it should, and that things should be taken into the power of the every man (and woman) a little bit more, though I am a staunch believer that there is a rather large difference between the moderate right and the stupid right, with the stupid right being rather not purposely manipulated, but rather as a byproduct to their blind loyalty and lack of general individuality to be caught up in the ridiculous side of the party with insane actions. Though I will say that Biden does seem to be in a rather impared state and unable to quite "lead" the country like he should...
Same here!
There’s also the thing where a lot of people try to become/act politically centered, and end up some level deep into the right since what they’re trying to be is on the center of our current political line instead of what was the moderate/centrist mentality what that concept got created.
Almost exactly the same trajectory for me. Without changing barely at all, I've become a libtard, a cuck, a RINO, and a socialist in the eyes of my former associates on the Right, who insist on seeing the Never Trump phenomenon as selling-out or caving-in-to the Left, rather than as people who are simply holding onto the principles we already had and refusing to buy into the newly fashionable fascism.
Thank you as an American that spent about half my life overseas, I've been saying this to anyone I feel safe talking about politics with. The difference between before I left and my return is slap-in-the-face
If you would be so kind as to share the years you lived abroad, very curious. And don't feel bad about the difference being a slap in the face. I'm 52 and lived stateside my entire life, and I dont recognize my beloved America any longer. Heartbreaking, surreal, deeply depressing, and overwhelmingly hopeless feeling almost everyday. ;( I very much feel your pain.
I lived in South Korea for 3 and a half years before moving back for a year and then moved to Thailand. America just isn't the country it was even 12 years ago. I want to stay in Asia.
@@valdavis7461 I too live in South Korea (from Australia). Australia, too, has suffered similarly. I was amazed at exactly how much more democratic South Korea is than Australia is. It's truly worrisome. Australia used to be very much a democratic country, where we had the tall poppy syndrome where those who thought they were better than others were literally cut off at the knees socially (it kept arrogance and greed in check), where equality of opportunity was really important, where class just didn't exist. That's sadly, no longer the case. And from what I can see, America is much, much worse (at least we still cling to our protective industrial laws and our health care and (mostly) free education). But all that is being slowly eroded away by the greed of the filthy rich. We once had laws about mass media ownership and laws against monopolies, but those have all but disappeared. Most of our media is owned by one man and another owns most of the other half, so we have basically two people who tell Australia what to think, and they're both extreme conservatives, while even University was free in the 70s, even our public education is now far from free - even for public schools, which request (see expect) parents to contribute hundreds of dollars per student per year (they send demand letters home) because the funding is so low that schools can afford nothing beyond the basic wages and day to day running of the school (teachers aren't even allowed to photocopy a lot of the time - they have tiny photocopying budgets - teachers rarely photocopy anything for students!) while private schools have ridiculously luxurious amenities paid for by Governments (stuff like state of the art gymnasiums and sports halls and theatres and concert halls and VR rooms and high tech computer facilities and ballet rooms etc - mostly all of these things - while public schools generally have one multi-purpose hall that caters for all of the above, our healthcare is being constantly attacked and slowly depleted as they removed medical procedures from the 'free' list', our rights are being diminished - rights like the right to strike, the right to protest - they have caveats and massive limitations now, etc, etc. Meanwhile the mass far-right media brainwashes our citizens into believing that all these things are fine.
Meanwhile South Korea actually TEACHES the art of protesting in it's schools - kids choose a topic and go around doing it every year, their schools are really well funded - kids get lots of extra-curricula stuff and excursions and free bus to school and books and...the list goes on - my kids get free ski trips every year, their health system is absolutely FABULOUS and almost free (there's a tiny fee) - and there's NO WAITING - treatment is immediate - walk in an be treated, and markets are protected so that big business can't rip people off or create monopolies! Australia is almost fascist in comparison, and America appears much, much worse... The media goes on about China being a communist country, but as the years go by, I see less and less of a real difference between our countries...
@@fransmith3255 I miss living there. It's peaceful and well run.
Except the video is completely wrong.
He tries to make it seem like the left back then and now are ‘just fighting for civil rights’.
There’s a big difference between ending state-mandated segregation in the 70s and cutting your son’s balls off if you think they’re trans.
I'm an Australian that has been politically active for 20 years and we have moved as far in that time as the US did between 1971 and 2020. It really worries me and if I'm honest I am moving further left because I'm starting to see capitalism as unsustainable as it gives the most power to the least moral.
Once you actively are opposed to all forms of capitalism you end up outside the Overton Window, and that makes things very messy.
If you think capitalism is unsustainable, what system do you see as sustainable? I don’t think capitalism gives power to the least moral, I think they take it - by hook or crook, in any other economic system as well. That’s why communism doesn’t work. The way I see it, democracy (the rule of law of, by and for the people) is tasked with bringing the law to bear in a fair and equitable manner against those “least moral” individuals. Not an easy task, but what’s the alternative?
@@vxicepickxv The Overton Window is always shifting and frankly I've always been outside it in both directions. If you think the government doesn't have the right to dictate what you put in your own body you are extreme left, if you think the public should have access to your nations service rifle you are extreme right, I hold both these positions.
Funny thing is 100 years ago you could do both.
@@carmencortelyou9463 I honestly don't know the answer, I would like to see the government nationalize all resources on public land for a start as I consider the natural wealth of the nation the wealth of the people but I also see the issues with command economies. Strengthening and enforcing anti-corruption and anti-monopoly laws would also be a step in the right direction.
@@carmencortelyou9463 I would say that capitalism has brough the most prosperity of any system. It has, however, done so with the help of socialism. The more socialist a country is, but with a capitalistic base, the higher they are on happiness indexes and so forth. And the easier it is to become a millionaire. Billionaires and a huge gap between the richest and the poorest though? That requires a more pure form of capitalism.
And capitalism in its pure form, does not exist anywhere in the world. The countries that seem to practice it most closely are among the poorest.
A video about political polarization and their conclusion is “It’s the other sides fault”
Reich is a leftist moron who sees everything through his ideological prism.
This video is clearly a pushback against the narrative that the Democratic Party has moved to the left or has somehow become radical. It's obvious that the GOP has moved to the right since the 1960s. There is definitely blame to go towards the Democratic Party for the current state of affairs, but this video is about combating a false narrative.
No, the question is what does the evidence say a look at how political views have changed over time reveals that yes it is the right which has moved dangerously far right fueled by big money from corporate think tanks and media interests that have built off of Regan's opening of the floodgates of corruption and moral decay. Its hard to understand why but at least a large part of it seems to be identity politics the sense of group identity and evaluating ones own beliefs against others who share that identity. By misrepresenting and reframing things in increasingly twisted ways to support their own social narrative fed largely by the growing feeling of disenfranchisement they have been herded by career con men like Regan, Trump, DeSantis, and the likes into acting against the class interests by convincing them they are "temporarily embarrassed millionaires".
Fun video. My European friends view me as center-right. In USA, I'm viewed as far-left: civil rights, environmental protection, public education, worker protections, living wages, progressive taxes on unearned income, state and national parks, renewable energy, affordable healthcare and housing, ... These "radical left" policies are generally accepted in rich countries except USA.
I wouldn’t say that’s really center-right in Europe. Denmark is not the norm. There’s also Poland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and anywhere in Eastern Europe. Their right wing nationalism is also far more aggressive and potent than in America.
I would say you’re center-left for Europe, as you would probably be voting for labor and progressive parties almost exclusively. When you consider Asian politics, your stances are pretty far left. If you were to go much farther, you’d start getting into socialist territory.
Sorry buddy but that's still left in europe, and what reich is saying in this video is objectively not true
@@dannytunz6993 How is it untrue?
@@dannytunz6993 just stop it. You lie by saying others are lying. Very sad tactic.
@@thunderpooch you just accused him of lying because he accused someone of lying… does that mean you’re lying?
"Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the party it's going to be a terrible damn problem.
Frankly these people frighten me, politics and governing demand compromise but these Christians believe that they are acting in the name of God so they can't and won't compromise.
I know, i've tried." - Barry Goldwater (R)
That's an awesome quote. Thanks for sharing it.
William S. Burroughs said it best where religion is concerned:
"If you're doing business with a religious son of a bitch, get it in writing. His word isn't worth shit, not with the good lord telling him how to fuck you on the deal."
The tevelangest money beggars is all thay are just money beggars who really don't believe in heaven but thay sure pray like hell that there is no hell
When Barry Goldwater is complaining about you, you are part of a theocracy.
@@AnnNunnally look how they attacked Maverick for Christ sake.
Pun intended..
I highly recommend the book The Righteousness Mind by Jonathan Haidt that explores how we’ve become so polarized based on differences in aspects of our moral foundations. It doesn’t pick sides, but illustrates the disadvantages the left faces. The chilling part for me reading it last year was that it was written in 2012. While it accurately predicted trajectory, the Trump administration confirmed the worse projections.
Thank you for the book recommendation, are there any other ones? I want to learn more because I feel ignorance has let these issues run rampant.
I was a registered republican bc my husband was in business but after divorce I began to look at the whole spectrum. In the 70's The right started saying "profit is not a dirty word" and giving consumers less and less at higher prices, commercializing medicine while telling us what a good deal it was and finally I received campaign fund raising letters without one word in a three page letter about what Republicans stood for except squashing the Democrats and I have been a Democrat ever since.
I remember seeing a video from Beau of the Fifth Column a while ago where someone asked him how he predicts what they (Republicans) are going to do next, and he said he doesn't ask "what would a Republican do?" he asks "what would a fascist do?"
He also did a video on the Overton Window which basically took this to a bit more detail on that slide to the right.
I am a big fan of Beau`s and I remember that video well and the Republican party is right on track with their fascism.
At this point, 'What would a Republican do?' and 'What would a fascist do?' are not different questions.
@@lexslate2476 What would an anti-democratic sleeper cell do?
I made predictions about the anti-vax movement some folks I knew were a part of based on that same logic. It was sad to see my predictions come true. Honestly wish I had been wrong.
To be fair, it's a lot easier to see "the other guy" getting more extreme than it is those in the same side as you. Any shift you see there will automatically seem amplified on the other side.
A strange voice of reason surrounded by people who seem very, very certain of their own ideological purity. Well done.
The question is to what extent does the shift become too extreme? I think there is some talk about this idea in the video.
Since he defined himself as center, then you would think that both sides would seem more extreme to him over time, and not one more than the other?
honestly my impression is that in terms of practical policies, the right is indeed thr one that has become more extreme. What the left has done is develop a language and philosophy about some issues that is effectively very alienating to a lot of people, and that further contributes to widening the gap.
@@fredrikfjeld1575 No, he's ignoring the extremities of the left because they still have the same views on the specific issues he cares about. Many left-of-center people are just as blinded.
Retired media guy from the ad agency world here. Your observations are largely based on policy and while I agree that's part of it, it's not all and certainly not the majority. I know from my own experiences in the agency world is that its much easier, in the way media is used, to make an audience angry, scared, cry or laugh than it is to educate them. And that's what I think is the biggest source of our polarization. The Willie Horton ads (1988), for which creator Lee Atwater apologized on his deathbed may be one of the starting points. Just before that (1987), Reagan's FCC repealed the Fairness Doctrine in broadcast media and that was quickly followed by Rush Limbaugh and the rise of talk radio. In 1996, Fox News was born, fusing a Republican agenda and a tabloid mentality under the thin guise of a "News" operation. And don't get me started talking about Newt Gingrich, the slimiest politician in modern history. The guy who used the tool of impeachment to foul a potential Gore presidency while schtupping one of his own staff members.The rise of the internet and then social media took it to a whole new level and, clearly, it is tearing us apart. I worked in the "persuasion" basis and I can't count the number of conversations I've had with people who simply parrot all sorts of anger they pick up from cable news. I would sum it up this way. For the past 40-some years, the American middle class has been in decline and that's our greatest (real) problem. A dysfunctional and corrupt system of legislation (and now justice) allowed it to go on and an without resolution, seeding anger and cynicism across the land. And a sick symbiotic relationship between elected officials and the media world have formed together not to solve our problems.....but rather.... to exploit them. In the end, depending on who you talk to, its either about ratings or votes, all of which is underpinned by the pursuit of money. That's a long way of saying polarization, for some people, is a way to make money. Lots of it.
Mr Reich never fails to enlighten and illustrate. ☆☆☆☆☆
Never fails to be Divisive maybe. 😂
When you never start, you never fail
I always think of Newt Gingrich as being one of the early hardcore dividers. Along with the development of talking heads like Rush Limbaugh all really took off in the early 90s. I feel this set the stage for heavy political division. 25 yrs later we get the donald and things become even more extreme as he is a fascist enabler.
Lake Oswego Joe don't know.
They say Newt would actually call out any Republican in the House for having lunch with a Democrat!
I'd put the radio rightwingers back further into the '80s who really got the angry mob started but yeah Limpbag kinda became their leading crazy edge by the 90's
More or less agreed. There was plenty of the sort of problematic politics we see from the right today prior to Newt, but he made an industry out of the sort of rhetoric that is poisoning today's political discourse. It was with Newt that the GOP abandoned any pretense of enacting policy that was in the public interest and adopted messaging as a substitute. When you hear a Republican parroting talking points without understanding any of the substance underlying the topic they're addressing, blame Newt. That sort of thing has always been around, of course, but Newt made rhetoric over facts the preferred mode of discourse in the GOP.
Agreed. I didn't like Reagan but I don't recall getting angry at a politician until Newt.
I really believe that there are three types of people - ideologues, pragmatists, and opportunists. Most of us are pragmatists in a world run by opportunists who manipulate the ideologues.
Some of us just sit back and say "watch this train wreck" 😉
@@ickster23 Yep, you're a pragmatist.
@@ickster23 Opportunist: "Watch as I get these people to wreck the train." Ideologues: "Watch as I wreck this train to Make America Great Again!"
🎯
There are 10 types of people. Those who understand binary, and those who don't. (Sorry, just had to).
My sources: Just trust me bro
A simple message, well presented. It's being echoed in the UK government, and unfortunately - elsewhere...
Thank you, Robert.
I had wondered if I was imagining it because I was ageing. I always thought I was moderate, a bit left of centre at the most. Apparently I'm now a bleeding heart liberal. My views haven't really changed in 30 years. I find I'm actually being pushed further to the left because what's going on with the right is against everything this nation was supposed to be.
I'll always be civic minded but the political scene here is becoming ridiculous.
He mentioned in the video that the left started working for wall street 30 years ago. You are an elitist and nothing else. It ok to admit it
@@AD-bb9np Elitist. Nice! Thanks!
Here’s a quick test to see if you’re a bleeding heart liberal.
Do you think we need more gun control?
What’s your opinion on BLM?
Can a person change their gender?
Should we build a wall to stop illegal immigration?
Liberals arent leftists
Most elder republicans were former democrats in the south. From talking with them, they all say the Democratic Party left them, not them leaving the party.
Great, as usual. I've said this for decades. Reagan broke the country. Have been waiting for a course correction for 40 years.
Reagan saved the country from stagflation and the oil crisis from the 70s. You guys just like to ignore how bad the economy was before the 80s, when inflation was double digits.
RR 1988 -- "I still cannot accept that members of my administration, bought drugs from our enemies, and then sold those drugs to our children on the streets of America, for a profit, so they could buy weapons of destruction to give to our other enemy, Iran . . . but those are the facts."
GHW BUSH 1988 -- "Read my lips . . . no new facts-ss."
Are the Secret Societies on your radar? ALL IS BEING REVEALED.
Boom. OMG They killed Kennedy. THOSE BASTARDS.
@@Stonecoldfrank Some credit for the latter, but the Fed accomplished the former. In any case, nothing can justify the Reagan Recession, during which servicing the wealthy became the top GOP priority forevermore -- plus Iran-Contra (see above), the invasion of Grenada, the Challenger Disaster, the Beirut Barracks Bombing, the killing of alternative energy development, the dumping of the mentally ill on the street, and a hundred other truly callous, evil things. Reagan and Bush should have been impeached for Iran-Contra alone. All that on top of Watergate, Enron, the S&L crisis, every sort of crony-capitalist con, and the corruption of democracy at every opportunity. And -- oh, yeah -- AN ATTEMPTED COUP! Every Republican running for office should be forced to explain in great detail why his or her party should ever be entrusted with power again.
Reagan‘s ideas weren’t even his ideas or new ideas, Grover Cleveland and Calvin Coolidge make Reagan look like AOC
@@MortalWeather Watergate man founded the Environmental Protection Agency.
Being someone who used to vote for Democrats and was slightly left of center, if you think it is the right that has moved you’ve lost your mind. But then again that should have been evident to begin with.
As jello Biafra observed, the voting options used to be between the right and left, now it's between the right and further right.
Exactly. I was over the "both sides" people before Charlottesville. At this point, they are selling each other this delusion of "both sides" in order to feel better about themselves somehow. It's so disheartening.
At this point, anyone making a "both sides" argument can be disregarded, because they clearly aren't actually paying attention to their surroundings.
@@Bagahnoodles Yea. The "I'm an INDEPENDENT" people wear it like badge of honor for how they are supposed to be unreactive critical thinkers. Critical thinking should bring you to conclusions, and if after all that's happened you don't come to the conclusion that exactly one of the parties is an imminent existential threat to the country then you aren't a critical thinker, you're critically dense and indecisive.
A lot of this comes from news media abandoning any effort at being objective callers of balls and strikes. Sure, they usually failed at it, but there was at least an effort to do so. Now, they go for "fair and balanced" ignoring the fact that on many issues there is one side that's clearly more right than the other. For example, voting rights, the environment and those forever wars. It's objectively wrong that there's a significant issue with voter fraud, that climate change isn't primarily driven by humans and that those forever wars serve no legitimate purpose and are frequently illegal. There's not much room for debate there, but the right gets equal time to push those views.
charlottesville? so, its a big deal to you when antifa and blm attack some guys with torches, throwing feces, urine, and cement filled bottles at their heads, and all of your corporate news agencies do is talk about how bad the tikis are, but the year of riots, and 50 murders from the rioters, as well as rapes, billions in damage, all that is not a big deal? but some tiki clowns are? wow i have found the clueless zone of youtube. Calling antifa and blm good people is the height of absurdity, unless you consider violence and racism good.
@@jonb914 You know it is possible to vote progressive without attaching your self to a party out of principle right? Like, you support progressive policies, but don't want no connections to the corporate boot-lickers that are all talk and no action. Besides, it's not like there's a viable anarchist party.
My personal views are so far left of what is left in America that i don’t think I’m even on this spectrum anymore
IKR? Like, how does he see himself as that close to leftists?!
@@LakeVermilionDreams I believe the "left" in the video is the democratic party, which is pretty close to center as far as left ideology goes, and not even properly on the left internationally.
@Solstice of Snow Nah, the center is still mostly at the same spot. The extreme portions of the republican party has become more open about their views and pulled the party with them. People like Gaettz, MTG, or Trump are not representative of the GOP 2 or 3 decades ago, except behind closed doors far away from the public. The fact that they can be open about it and get cheered on is a very telling problem and indicator.
@Solstice of Snow You're missing the point. More people are left leaning but the center still believes the same things they believed 20 years ago. People are increasingly unhappy with how moderate the democratic party still is.
The average political voter is more left than ever, more Democrat politicians hold further left leaning values, but the center of the political spectrum still holds very similar ideals. The GOP on the other hand has steadily drifted more to the right. And you can't tell me the amount Trump railed against the media and called it fake news is just standard right wing behavior when even Bush Jr spoke out very clearly that a free media is important and most certainly not a Lügenpresse like Trump has claimed countless times.
@Solstice of Snow Ah, you could have just started with being a MAGA and I wouldn't have bothered replying. For the love of your country actually look up the shit Tucker and Hannity spout and verify against independent news sources for once. The two programs that pull the most viewers on Fox News have been consistently and repeatedly shown to just straight up lie, either by omission, taking things out of context, or just inventing shit.
The right also wants to silence people that don't agree with them, just look at how CRT is now a boogie man to remove books from school like To Kill A Mockingbird or Maus instead of being a high level econ and law class at University as it actually is.
It is documented fact that the rights views and agenda has become aggressively more extreme.
It's funny the regressive are called right in USA, and the conservatives are called left
Democrats are centre right when compared to the rest of the world.
The democratic party have no real progressive policy
No it isn't. The left on the other hand...
@@mikewilliams6025
Plenty of right-wing commentators calling for civil war lately, as they realise that they have no valid policy to win a fair democratic election.
That's a fairly obvious example of extreme and agressive action by rightwing political activists..
Can you give any example to back up your suggestion?
@@mikewilliams6025
Do you think passing workers' rights laws are a display of extreme and agressive action?
Do you think calling for universal healthcare is agressive and extreme?
What about passing infrastructure spending initiatives, are they aggressive and extreme?
@@grantsmith505 I think pushing for toddlers to undergo gender affirmation therapy and puberty blockers is aggressive and extreme.
I think forcing women to compete against biological males is aggressive and extreme.
I think trying to "cancel" people and shut down anyone that says something you don't like by calling it "hate speech" is aggressive and extreme.
Thanks for this, Professor! I really appreciate your videos and point-of-view, but I rarely have time to sit down and absorb one of your long videos. The short ones work great for my time-starved life. The longer ones give more depth and detail, but they usually sit unwatched in my Watch Later folder. But when I do watch them, they are spot on.
So true how things have changed. I remember in the early 90s there was a hubbub when the leader of the conservative party in Sweden was seen wearing a tie featuring beloved childrens' character Bamse, who is all about fairness, caring, and sharing, sticking together, lending a hand, "if you're strong you have to be kind", etc., and whose creator is on the left as well. The conservative youth section cried out "how can you wear Bamse, he's a socialist!!1!??". He replied "If Bamse is a socialist, then I guess I am a socialist too."
lick me Trump[ gonna win
While you and I are about as far apart politically as possible (I'm a Veteran, served under Reagan and Clinton and am a Christian farmer) you presented your position well, and succinctly, so thank you.
Being a Christian is not really the problem as I have many friends including my son are, but the likes of trump and margerie Green are not but using the bible and people's beliefs to push more right, but no where does the bible say or state its right wing. If I were a Christian I would be do upset at the lies taken place in thd Republican party .
Really Donald Trump a Christian, that further from ghe truth than you can get.
Seriously, why is anyone still a Christian?
There's almost no historians today which think Christianity has a chance of being true. In the recent past, there were a few, but researchers and historians kept looking into Christianity and now hardly anyone takes it seriously.
There's a few good things: the beatitudes, "don't bear false witness", always forgive others, etc.
But Jesus being God and saving us all from eternal torture -- if only we believe -- is not taken seriously by anyone who has done even basic research which is now widely available.
The irony is that by saying you and he are as far apart politically "as possible" you are essentially agreeing with the posited idea of yourself being close to having a fascist ideology. I don't know you, so please understand I'm not saying you actually are a fascist, I'm merely pointing this out.
Hmm .....
Being a veteran, christian and a farmer doesn't imply any specific political leaning.
If you are both a Christian _and_ a republican, you're doing one of those wrong.
As independent, looks to me like both sides are moving to more extreme positions. I guess if you have always thought the far left or right ideas were right you would say my side hasn't moved it's the other side that has become more extreme.
Are you kidding me? The democrats are not even a left wing party. It only seems like it is more radicalized on both sides because American politics are very skewd center right to mid right for a long time. Calling for taxs money to be invested in the community in the form of healthcare and feeding families is not a far left idea. It's pretty sad that Americans have been mentally conditioned to think public healthcare is communist and a bad thing actually.
It comes down to degree. Society as a whole changes, and as a result there will always be movement along the political spectrum if we continue to insist on categorizing little boxes for groups of ideals. But as he mentioned in the video, the ideals of people who used to be categorized as "center-left" are now... still center-left. While the ideals of people who used to be categorized as "center-right" are considered either center or even slightly left, while the center-right folks are now closer to what used to be extreme right, and the extreme right folks are fascists.
Which ideas specifically on the left would you say have become more extreme? The big stand outs from the "far left" to me would be public healthcare (Truman wanted this), UBI (Milton Friedman of all people argued for this), Assault Weapons Ban? (This used to be primarily an issue for the right! They didn't want the Black Panthers having access to AKs), "Green New Deal"? We've ALWAYS been for protection of the environment and it's never been more than a FAR smaller version of the ideas we fought for in the 40s, ... Gender Equality? or Equal Protection laws? Those have always been the calling card of "the liberals".
If one were to argue "Reagan v. 2" is the GOP's idea of a dream candidate, I don't think there's a democrat alive who'd say the DNC's answer wouldn't be "FDR 2.0". If THAT'S your benchmark for when "Democrats went extreme" then that's totally fair... Prior to the Bull Moose Split and the right's "Southern Strategy"the Democrats were the conservative party and the republicans were the liberal party. After that though? I'm not sure the views of liberals have changed too much in at least the last 80 years.
Obviously you could argue that Bernie Sanders/AOC/etc... are left of Clinton, but that's ignoring the fact Clinton was basically the 90s version of Joe Manchin; a conservative democrat from an incredibly red state.
While I (as a former Republican) do agree that the Republicans have moved more extremely, I agree that both sides have become more extreme. Trump definitely had a fascist streak in his personality, but the attempts on the Left to move towards group responsibility (as opposed to individual responsibility) and to suppress free expression (socially, not governmentally) has a bit of a Maoist tinge to it. Still, there are more sane Democrats in Congress than Republicans (as of 2022).
@@BS-vx8dg I don't. think the vast majority of left-leaning folks want to "suppress free expression" so much as "make sure people take responsibility for their expressed ideas". There's a big difference between "not being allowed to say something" and "having consequences for saying something that hurts other people".
This is exactly what I’ve observed myself.
But I’m happy to say that many millions of us on the left and center are pushing back super hard against these fascist ideas.
This is the inevitable result of the path we started on in the Reagan era. I saw it back then as it started, and everybody called me an alarmist, but nobody ever tells me "you were right" even though it's obvious I was. I hope I die before it gets to where it's going, and it's going to get ugly before it gets better.
Back then I was a kid, but some of what Reagan said sounded good to me.
Please remember, I was a kid back then.
Even the trickle down economics sounded good because of what they said would happen for the majority of the populace, and I didn't understand anything about real world economics.
Since then I've learned it was a horrible swindle of this country. I started doing some research and found out that "Trickle Down Economics" was discredited long before Reagan and gang decided to start stumping for it.
Even while I was in the military, and benefited from the military budget, it seemed way out of alignment with reality and actual needs, even before the USSR collapsed.
Since then I've seen things change, and though some things were better, others were worse, and I'm no longer so ignorant in many of the relevant fields.
I'm not an economist, but I do listen to works of well respected economists.
It's the same with scientists, engineers, etc.
If it comes to facts, or an analysis of a situation, always go with the relevant experts in that field, as everybody else is just too ignorant or too compromised to be trusted, especially politicians and corporations!
Feelings are not a valid discourse on reality and have no weight in a discussion of facts.
I've learned a lot from the discussions of experts, and I'm not fool enough to think that I am an expert, or even close to one. Now if the rest of the country would realize their own lack of competence on these various subjects, I'm sure things might begin to improve again.
@@robertrosenthal7264 Well, good. Keep talking to people and try to get them to stop watching Fox.
@Robert Rosenthal
Remember when Bush I ran for the Republican presidential nomination he called “trickle down” “voodoo economics”.
I know that hope all-too-well. My father who fought the fascists in WWII would roll over in his grave if he knew what was happening today. Although I miss him dearly, I am grateful he died in the mid-90's before this started to get ridiculously sickening.
@@ambulocetusnatans Have you stepped outside of your bubble long enough to count how many of the left wing media's "Conspiracy theories" have been documented as fact?
Or do you accept at face value when the leftist perpetrator denies the activity and calls it baseless in the absence of any REAL investigation?
Strange that this video is four months old and didn't show up in my feed until now. Losing our democracy is something that keeps me up at night. The super rich will stop at nothing, even go as far as establishing a fascist government, just in order to avoid having to pay taxes.
The US is NOT a democracy and never has been. It is a federal republic.
@@thomast8539 Understood. However we did have some democratic elements to our republic and I’m afraid we will lose them to a dictatorship.
What nonsense. It's the left that's moved to extremes. I'm a traditional lefty. At the beginning to the century I was firmly to the left on the political scale. My views have barely changed, and now I'm considered to be centrist by the postmodernist left. In fact, the identitarian left has ratcheted so far to the left that these days it's actually closer to the alt right in terms of ID politics, militancy, authoritarianism, essentialism and total unwillingness to even engage with anyone who doesn't buy in 100% to CSJ ideology.
I was taught politics by my grandfather who passed last year at age 95 , thankful for that
This could also be applied to how I feel about UK politics now. Our last “left wing” government was anything but. Our centrist and left wing parties have been evicerated by our far right press. I consider myself a liberal, my colleagues think I’m a lefty. Our government has notes of fascism.
Agree. But like almost everything, what we hate about the UK is ten times worse in the US. (I lived in minnesota in the late 1990s.)
Totally agree with you there. I’ve never been a Torey supporter but I usually agreed with them on at least one point, with Boris thought I can’t see a day I would ever side with him. if I do find myself on the verge of thinking he might have done something positive I immediately wonder what awful thing he’s trying to divert attention away from and just how he could twist a good idea into ‘as you put it’ his notes of fascism.
Dude you’re literally just an idiot if you think the BBC is ‘right wing’. The reason Labour got stomped in the last election was because it’s unpopular. You just can’t accept that though, so you deny reality and make up this nonsense that the media is oppressing you and your viewpoint.
If anyone calls liberals lefty thats a problem lmao
@@Gigachad-mc5qz they are left, though.
Conclusions based on personal bias lack objectivity and are therefore invalid. Most conservatives and liberals regard themselves as centrists [or very near the center] while portraying their ideological counterpart as far removed from the mainstream.
While I agree Reich is making a subjective, biased argument that you could hear just as frequently from the right, I think there is evidence to suggest that it is the Republican party that has had more of an evolution in the last 40 years, looking at the Tea Party movement and Trump. My main issue is with the portrayal at the beginning of the video that shows the left and right equally distant from the center, when it seems to me that from the 30s to the 70s it was the left that was undergoing a radical shift.
A few things I would have mentioned in the video, IMHO:
1) Social media creates political bubbles. People don't get to hear the other side from an honest perspective, everything devolves into rage.
2) No mention of Antifa and BLM? Really?
3) How the right split into mainstream republicans and alt-right?
I’m 71. Born in 1951. This quick little animation really sums up the shift to the radical right. What’s especially sad is that many in my generation who once had the capacity for critical thinking and did oppose the Viet Nam war have since unwittingly drifted into a miasma of right wing brain fog through watching Fox News and listening to the Rush Limbaugh and the like. This relentless torrent of nonsense has disabled their cognitive functioning.
Yes, the video The Brainwashing of my Dad showed this process very powerfully. It’s available on UA-cam.
I blame Rupert Murdoch heavily for the direction the anglophone countries have taken politically.
Here in Australia where I live he dominates the media and all the politicians are scared of him. It limits what can be achieved politically.
Actually this is exactly the reason I was thinking politics is now polarised.
I agree. Moderate left supporters have remained moderate left, while moderate right supporters have become extreme right and they want a Fascist White Nationalist Authoritarian leader.
@@Zach-ju5vi You mean pre election rhetoric that never materialized? Like
Fixed healthcare?
Taxing the rich ?
Winding down the wars ?
All presidents have lied this way since Carter.Be specific.
trueee. (me personally I believe in Social Democracy)
@@Zach-ju5vi How about catering to White Supremacists? Where you have literal White Supremacists saying "I don't know if he is one of us, but is saying things I agree with."
How about calling Nazis fine people? Is that Fascist enough for you:?
Or calling BOTH elections rigged against him, and refusing to accept that he lost no matter what the results were.
There is a laundry list of reasons that Trump is fascist leaning. And every conservative I know cheered him on.
@@Zach-ju5vi none of those are explicitly left wing. Stop wasting your time with this bullshit
@@Zach-ju5vi Hand picked Federalist judges. Really. The mega corporate tax cut. What left leaning policies did he actually have?
Biggest problem was the loss of community and sense of collective that started out in the Reagan years and has got worst since. The push of individualism to the extreme just like collectivism to the extreme has massive negative consequences for society as a whole as well as individuals over the long-run too.
Actually, this is completely the reason I thought politics were so polarized now. Good to hear it so well expressed, though.
In the last 30 years of me being politically aware, the right has indeed moved very far to the right. I've always thought of myself as a little bit conservative, yet while my political views have changed very little, what the current GoP has started to do has made me sick.
They're not conservatives, they're Nazis.
It's kinda scary when it's possible to both be a conservative, and viewed as "far left".
@@BaalsMistress Yep. I've been called a "Communist" several times in recent years. I'm a former Texan, licensed gun owner, and I voted for Ross Perot in 1996... you know, like a Communist would! 😂
Yup. I consider myself fiscally conservative in that anybody on public assistance should be on birth control also end corporate welfare and lobbying of politicians - but also socially liberal in that we need to make higher education free as well as end the failed war on drugs and encourage treatment over incarceration of nonviolent addicts - I am far too compassionate to ever be considered a republican. I also voted for Ross Perot.
@@LazyIRanch I remember that election! Honestly, I wish Ross Perot had won. One might think a Republican would want a billionaire from Texas as president.
I mean, many tRumpsters claim they didn't want a "career politician". Well, both George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton were already career politicians. Many tRumpsters believe tRump to be a self-made billionaire who is great for business.
The U.S. is not a business. tRump inherited money, and had many bankruptcies and failed businesses. tRump was a Manhattanite, not a Texan.
I seriously believe Perot didn't win because of "his ears", his "accent", his "short stature", and because of "his charts". I really think Perot would have been MUCH better than Clinton (hey--no scandals!). Well, we'll never really know.
I myself used to identify as Republican (coming from a large Republican family), back when it was "Republican Classic".
@@1ManNamedDan Same here! Perot was right about NAFTA.
Ironically, I have a cousin whose husband's company makes a product with "Texas" in the name and the website proudly proclaims "Made in USA!" with 'Murican flags all over it. They are devout trumpers and tyrannical evangelicals who sent both their daughters to one of those "christian" prison camps for teenagers run by Lester Roloff (he was a monster, you can google it).
Truth is, the factory is in Mexico and the steel used in the product comes from China. NAFTA enabled them to make huge profit, but they hate anything and everything about democrats, even when they benefit.
They have a tiny office in Del Rio, just barely this side of the Rio Grande, with one employee; one of their daughters. She's struggled with drug addiction since she was a teen, and she embezzled 1000s of $$ from her parents' company to buy drugs. Her parents are very wealthy, and her elderly father was in a luxury retirement home in Houston until March 2020. That's when his grandkids came to visit him at the home right after they came back from Mardi Gras where they contracted Covid. The last photo of him has him sitting in a wheelchair, wearing a magat hat, with his adult grandchildren giving him kisses. He was dead in a week or so, and the first person I knew to die of Covid.
His family still say it was "pneumonia" and that Covid is just a democratic hoax, even though those grandkids admitted they caught covid at Mardi Gras in Facebook posts. 🙄
I have no idea what happened to their company, but probably went under or was sold.
I share the same political views as you do Robert. I think in addition to what you said, we were supposed to have a seperation between church and state and that line is getting more and more blurred over the last 20-30 years. What are your thoughts?
One look at "Evangelicals" voting by the millions for a scumbag who is the antithesis of Jesus Christ tells you how correct you are. They are NOT a religion. They are a Super PAC.
@@darthbrandon2149 I agree religious extremists are not really religious. Religious thought is supposed to worldly and accepting of other religious thought. It is not supposed to further divisions between people who have different beliefs. Atheists believe in the possibility of a good many things that may or may not exist, however between religious or non-religious types of people these possibilities and beliefs should not cause real world harm. And if they do then they should be discarded, criticized, and stood up against by both types of people.
@@nicklang7670 I am sure there are a few good Christians who are appalled at the unfathomable worship of Orange Anus 45 by the religious right. But voting for the literal antithesis of one's religion screams to the world that those people are not serious at all about their religion. Those people are in it for power and control.
Blurred? More like the wall has huge holes smashed in it. "Faith Based Initiative", Acceptance of militant right-wing religious schools as legitimate colleges (and even giving some of them an excuse to call themselves "Universities"), acceptance of religious symbols on public lands (like giant crosses), are just a few examples.
We ran into a big problem with a dead tree hanging over our home. We couldn't afford the prices the tree firms demanded (they even suggested we turn over our title to them and they'd 'hold the note' - but with no protections for us). We sought help from local politicians - basically the conservative ones laughed and turned their backs (because we're poor), and the liberal ones - hands were tied but suggested I contact some of the state agencies. I did - and guess what? They directed me to go to a bad-news church that we've had massive problems with. When I protested, the referrer got mad at me because I didn't want to deal with that church. They DID refer me to the church - we got a phone call telling us they wouldn't help us, but that they DID insist on sending a team out to "Share the Good News With You!". We refused to even allow them on our property. (The tree limbs fell and punched holes in our roof - I was trying to patch them with pieces of sheet metal, which only worked a little. You've seen the cartoons of the poor home with buckets spread around during a rainstorm? It's reality. My wife got a small inheritance and that enabled us to get a new roof.)
They're even protected, even as they're committing Christian terrorism. Go to wfla.com/2015/06/25/freedom-from-religion-group-has-safety-concerns-filing-suit-against-polk-sheriff/ for more information - and I'll add that because I publicly defended the teaching of evolution in the science classrooms, they torched my electronics workshop/home laboratory, and that the militants also poisoned some of our kitties in response to defending minorities, the very poor and homeless, and the LGBT people (note: I'm not atheist). I couldn't get ANYONE to listen about the arson or the poisoned kitties (who were deeply loved).
@@RedHeart64 You live in a red state?
I try to watch both side of the left/right arguments in the US. It is strange because both sides say the same things about the other side. I see people on the right saying that the left has moved very far from the center. I watch Bill Mar and he often says the left has moved farther left. It seems to me both sides are moving away from the "center" or else the "center" is a moving target.
Rightists: The left has moved so far left that to be a centrist now seems like far right to them
Leftists: The right has moved so far right that to be a centrist now seems like far left to them
Or maybe both sides HAVE moved (equally or not) farther toward the fringes and it isn't a problem with a particular form of extremism that we need to worry about.
Large corporations and wealthy individuals that it's cheaper to lobby on both sides of the aisle than it is to have a more just tax and regulation system. So many of our political representatives have shifted from representing us, the common folk, to representing those with the largest megaphones: corporations and wealthy individuals. This is a the cause for the middle of the political spectrum to disproportionately fatten, making it appear that progressive ideas like universal healthcare, universal basic income, women and LGBTQ rights, minority rights, unions, and fair voting policies have been displaced so far to the left. The middle of the political spectrum seems nearly unoccupied by the typical American, and more and more by corporations and wealthy individuals who seek to minimize their own costs at the expense of the rest of America.
NAILED IT.
Excellent point, IceArdor. If you look at any legitimate polling of the priorities of the American people for at least the past 20 years, you see the unvarnished truth : Progressive political policies are Centrist in American society, aka Democratic Socialism.
But I am not certain you are understanding the root cause of why Progressive is considered "left wing".
Corporate "news" Media, the wealthy 1% (oligarchs), and corporations all have the same interests in keeping "status quo" in American society. So if you listen to Corporate "news" Media, you will hear "the radical left", even on CNN and "liberal" MSNBC. Don't get me wrong, I do not believe there is some sort of "Star Chamber" or "One World Order" cabal that has secret meetings to decide how to control the minds of the majority of Americans. It is simply a factor of business interests.
If 100,000,000 Americans suddenly realized that Corporate "news" Media, the wealthy 1% (oligarchs), and corporations all PROFIT from Americans being pitted against each other, then those 100,000,000 Americans might stop watching 24/7 Corporate Cable Television. And those 100,000,000 Americans might decide that a coalition of low income whites, along with low income Americans of color, could radically change the political landscape of American government to be a government OF and FOR the PEOPLE, rather than a government of the 1% and corporate special interests.
By the VAST majority, the wealthy 1%, nor corporate CEO's, nor Corporate Media CEO's want to lose their absolute power over the Untied States government. After all, they are becoming insanely wealthy from it.
The wealthy aren't centrist, they're the force that's dragging the country further right. They want more compliance and less social safety nets because that's what's most profitable for them, when you have a good little worker drone that does what they're told, takes next to nothing, and doesn't question what they're doing. We need the wealthy out of our politics before we can fix the divide.
I'm gonna pick out universal income as very far left out that list.
Yup. ,,,, Now, what are WE gonna do about it!?? I'm seriously getting scared;;;; And I'm no quitter,, but enough is enough!!!!
Thanks for re-enforcing the thought of how far from center folks have gone...Toppling of the edge in some cases.
Also, really cool animation😁
The poor and lower middle class have no political representation in the US.
You have two right wing, and corporate-controlled parties in the US.
As the Democratic Party is farther right than our Conservative Party, here in Canada.
It was "ALMOST" honest. The Just-left of Center, may not have moved very far left, (I'm still there, too) but the reaction to Trump, pushed many VERY far Left. They are now Atheists. So are most of the Republicans, since Trump. So are the Libertarians.
@@humboldthammer we've always been a very strongly atheist represented country. I hope the left is moving farther left as signalied by more progressive, POC, and queer politicians. Also, I don't think the right moved far to the right. They were just allowed to show their views with Trump in office. That showed us there has always been a strong white national, strongly racist, pro military/war, and anti-science force in America. We need to squash the far right and become community driven.
He does do excellent artwork
@@nathandwyer7273 The middle class is much more catered to in policy than the poor. I guess the poor tend to frequently vote against their own interests tho.
A look at the ways that the left has moved would make this analysis more credible. It strains credibility to say that there hasn't been any shift on that side.
I think we should do something about the health control and universal gun rights in this country
Wonderfully stated but in a thankfully few cases some "conservative" politicians have not so much moved towards Fascism as to have fully embraced it.
I like how you put conservative in quotes. Yanks wouldn't know a true conservative if one bit them in their big fat big mac eating asses.
Trump will win in 2024 and yall can suck my frigg stick
Real Fascism is OK. They killed far less than commies.
Conservativism is a position based on social hierarchy. Just because you don't do it via imperialism but capitalism (i.e. inheritance from imperialism) doesn't mean it's a morally right position (cough cough CRT)
And some "progressive" politicians have not so much moved towards dictatorship, as to have full embraced it. There is left leaning authoritarianism too, and if you dont believe that then you're not a critical thinker. Just critically dense. Not to say the right isnt without its problems and shitshow too.
I'm a good ways 'left' of you in many ways, and I'd like to say I really appreciate your work not pandering to a loud angry right or a largely imaginary 'center.' I feel quite represented by that worried looking person in the blue dress on your chart.
I have to wonder if there's really a center and what do they stand for? What would supposed Centrists vote for or against or what would they protest? Certainly they seem to follow the Republican's saying: _If Democrats stand for one thing you oppose, then you can't vote for them._ Of course they say the exact opposite to their one-issue voters.
I wish what a central platform is too. Are the libertarians? Religious Leftists?
@@sandal_thong8631 There are some people who vote for both parties on every ballot, because they think it is important to have compromise in government and not be too far one way or the other. The compromise people usually call themselves centrists.
So, basically, if the parties were ever divided on the question "should we drown all puppies for no reason?," then centrists would suggest that the best possible solution is one where we only drown SOME puppies for no reason, not all of them.
@@CedricJustice No, libertarians in the United States are the right, not the rabid far, far right. They are as awful today as they were ten or twenty years ago. They are the tail on the right running dog.
@@sandal_thong8631 It's impossible to be truly in the center in this case. Left is for gov't intervention in the market, right is for no gov't intervention. So if you do nothing, you're on the right, if you make even 1 regulation, you've stepped into the left.
eg.
"Some regulation is needed" = Center left
"Complete regulation and control is needed" = Far left
"a tiny amount of regulation is ok" = Center right
"No regulation, companies can do whatever" = far right
Take a step to the right of that center line for one second and you'll see how much of a joke this video is. Honestly laughable. I'm fairly young, and while I remember the 90s looking very similar to what this video shows, in 2020 the left went so far left, it snapped the line. Those who were on the center left like myself either fell off the cliff with the rest of the leftists or they took a step over that line. I took the step to save myself... at first. But now I know that the right is the side of growth and personal accountability. It's basically the adult side. Come be an adult with us. The relief you'll feel is unparalleled, I promise.
You find relief being right wing? I don't find it relieving, it's actually quite stressful when leftists hold all the powerful institutions and are using that power in authoritarian ways we could never conceive of.
@@KamikazeCommie501 true, but it's a relief to be out of that leftist mindset that I was in and to know I'm now on sturdier ground. I wish I could get other leftists to understand that the power they currently weild is shaky as hell and the life they lead is not good for them or for society. But I cant. They'll have to come to that realization themselves, like I did.
The Left: "hey, maybe we should start treating trans people better"
The Right: "wow, you've moved so far to the hyper extreme left, you're forcing me more right wing!"
In my view, the first-past-the-pole election systems in the USA and UK are unfit for the Computer Age. Technology made it to easy to game the system.
My country switched to proportional representation in 1917. The US is a century out of date.
And one of the worst results of the outdated election system is the huge polarization. In our last national elections, the result was that 99.7% of the voters are represented by the person they voted for. Our representatives are all over the political spectrum and always need to compromise and form coalitions to get anywhere near their goals and get re-elected.
Agree with you completely.
I'm not sure what technology has to do with it, but I agree with you that single-member districts have become a major problem for the US. I used to be very anti-PR, but would accept it now. Unfortunately, it would require a major change in federal law. A ranked choice voting system might be an easier, if less effective, solution to implement.
I wish I'd seen a bunch of angry right-wing comments under this video. Because that would mean some of them had watched this. They're the ones who need to. As it is, pretty much preaching to the choir.
But don't stop, and I applaud you for all you do. The country needs more people like you.
What is there to be angry about?
I am a Conservative Republican Capitalist.
Robert is entitled to his opinions. I don't have to agree with them.
Wow, I am surprised by you. I am curious about what you are disagreeing with.
@@lauraholzler1417 If you are talking to the comment above you... he didn't necessarily say he disagrees with the video. He just said he doesn't HAVE to agree with Robert's opinions.
There are probably Republicans who agree that their party has moved further right, but don't think it's a bad thing. To those people, the information presented in this video might be recognized as factual, but what they disagree with is that it's actually a problem. They might be happy about it. Which, of course, is despicable, but still could be the case.
@@lauraholzler1417 Yep, me too. Aside from "he's on the wrong team".
@@youtubesucks1499 Lol, you're not a capitalist if you work for a living. And you're not a conservative if you're a Republican. 😂
Both sides have radicalized, but honestly the left is going faster away from the balanced point of view
Thankfully someone else sees what is going on.
"The right has moved toward fascism" says the man named Reich.
At first I was like, what is this guy smoking?
But then I realized that economically there has been a big swing to the right, while culturally the opposite has happened.
You've just described what neoliberalism is.
You seem to be suggesting that the culture has had a big swing to the left. What culture are you looking at? It certainly isn't the USA.
@@laurendoe168 So you think wokism is right-wing?
@@laurendoe168 The biggest needle move has been extending full rights to same sex couples. It is a right that costs others nothing.
@@exhaustguy I agree with same sex marriage, but I also know many "devote Christians". To them, this right is the same as forcing them to live in Sodom or Gomorrah. So it's not really "nothing" in their eyes.
Great video Mr. Reich. I grew up in Wyoming and was on the "left" there. Later, when I moved to the west coast, I realized I was a centrists with some social progressive aspirations for a more supportive society. I have been shocked at how willing the right has gone over the years, led by commentators like Tucker, Rush, etc into a hate filled, infantile madness that makes the future of democracy very uncertain. It is clear to me that behind the mouthpieces (like trump) are corporations who (I believe incorrectly) think that they are tipping the scales in their favor by fueling these right wing extremists.
Amazing how the right burned down the cities in 2020 when all the left wanted was a summer of love.
Don't believe any of this. The democratic party is _right_ of the conservative party. The democrats are everything they claim to hate about Trump and then some.
The problem isn't that there's 1 pro-war, pro-wall st, pro-corporation, anti-worker party, the problem is that there are 2.
Robert Reich helped Clinton leave on a surplus on the backs of poor people and children.
Obama dropped more bombs than Bush-Cheney, and expanded a drone program with a known 90% civilian kill rate, while he kicked 5.1 million people out of their homes and gave the banks $2.1 trillion.
The vast majority of corporations donated to Biden in 2020, so you’re actually completely wrong about that.
Trump got far more small dollar donations from regular people.
@@basedstreamingatcozy-dot-t7126 The Democrats funded Trump campaigns with their "pied piper" strategy and are *still* doing it, funding MAGA candidates over progressive Democrat candidates.
I left the dem party, and while I don't think Trump is best for president, I don't dislike him like I used to. He's the least destructive president of at least the post-60s era.
@@basedstreamingatcozy-dot-t7126 in 2020 before then the overwhelming amount of money going from corporations went to the republican party. It has been that way for a long time. They are the party of derugulation and tax cuts. Trump was a step to far and was just so unstable. Corporations then get behind Biden because he was at least stable and predictable even if he was more likely to raise taxes on them (obviously he has failed with that so far)
Just your usual right-bad, left-good argument. Nothing to see here. *flies away*
Nixon used to be considered right wing. Today's Republicans would call him far left.
What that graphics is missing is how the right perceives their own position on that scale.
I'm pretty sure, they see themselves positioned "slightly right of center".
Perception is the key.
Thank you for this video. I think this kind of explains what I and other former republicans have been experiencing. I feel like I’m just right of center but the further right the far right gets the closer I am to where the left is, even though I don’t think that my views have changed that much. I was puzzled by that at first but I think this illustrates what’s been happening rather nicely.
One problem is that you don't have another right-of-center party to vote for, which could exist if your state had ranked-choice voting like NYC did for mayor in 2021. The other problem is it seems there's nothing the far right can do to get the Center to vote Democratic.
IMHO, Democrats are where Republicans were 45 years ago, and Republicans are where Germany was 85 years ago.
@@freyathewanderer6359 Well said.
@@kuriosites I disagree. We had a couple decades of reactionaries in charge, but more people want equal rights, and the public is finally getting where the Democrats were before they went on the wrong track under Clinton.
@@sandal_thong8631 It's true the public may be getting there but the politicians aren't listening to us. I don't disagree with your advocacy of rank-choice voting. It could help but we still have gerrymandering and voter suppression.
Question unrelated to the subject at hand .
This is your art style .
Did you physically draw this animation or did team members .
Cause it would just be so cool
If animator was added to your resume.
Remember Barry Goldwater? He was considered far too right wing to be seriously considered as a GOP presidential candidate.
Now, his positions are all too far left to be allowed in the GOP.
For me the growing polarization points to a failure of the educational system in this country to base people's thinking on facts and rational thought. Also, basically Americans have little training in discussing topics they consider controversial with civility, so they avoid them, and retreat into their respective corners where they seek the security of the like-minded. One also has to learn that while one might not accept, even respect the opinions of another person, especially if they are not grounded in reality, one still has to respect the person as such.
What public education is going to teach children that the Democratic party and Republican party (Redhat Cult now) are both hopelessly corrupt? What public education is going to teach children about Corporate "news" Media being nothing more than a propaganda wing of the two political parties?
If anything, we need a well-funded grass roots organization that holds "town hall" gatherings across the nation. Not to educate the children, but to educate adults before it is too late.
@@darthbrandon2149 well said
@@erock6908 Not well said; it's just another "both sides are bad" argument to suppress the vote.
@@darthbrandon2149 People who have been taught critical thinking skills would be able to distinguish between facts and opinions. They would also be asking the right questions of politicians and media. And they would understand that a general condemnation of parties and media doesn't solve anything.
How is that possible when the left shows up at the discussion table in good faith and the right does not? We have seen over and over that the right wing demands capitulation, not compromise. More importantly, how does one compromise on social and economic equality? Respect must be earned and that will never happen when those involved are hypocritical liars. I have lived long enough to see the political trends. When the right is in power, they are never concerned about compromise or working across the aisle, but once they lose that power, it's all about the travesty of the left not trying to work with their obstructionist colleagues on the right.
This is not just a US problem either. This extreme shift to the right by conservatives is happening here in Canada as well.
Well, Canada is basically America #2 so it is not too surprising.
It's happening in Europe as well, and have been happening for quite some time.
I don't know, I'm a centrist, and it feels both sides have moved away from me at most levels, especially in the anglosphere, since politicians are banking on the divide to be relevant.
When Justice Stevens, a center-right Ford appointee, was retiring, he was asked how he felt about being one of the Court's "liberals." He answered, "I didn't change. The Court changed."
Neither side works for the people. We are a corporate nation. Thank you Robert for your voice of reason.
You're talking about Republican vs Democrat. This video was about left vs right. Those are different subjects.
@@roberteltze4850 and both parties are on the right.
When I was in my teens and early 20's (the 1990's) I figured we'd slowly move left as a country, because...Progressiveness?
Damn was I delusional.
Turns out the boomers are the "greed is good" generation unfortunately.
People might have thought it was. But, nope. It's because of Neoliberalism since around 1978/79. Where the market can solve everything. /s
@@Zach-ju5vi Maybe. But regressives are cruel, bigoted, and greedy.
@@Zach-ju5vi The entire right wing is regressive, especially the MAGA cult. They want to take the US backwards...To their "good old days" where only white men had all the rights.
@@Zach-ju5vi "While males" ? Do you mean "whale males" ? Why one would like to give more rights to a whale?
I see one problem with this video,
and it's that it simply states many of the facts without supporting them.
Don't get me wrong - they are facts - but it's still easily deniable.
To be fair, some parts were well supported,
and the format doesn't really allow for an elaborate definition of fascism,
but in my opinion, this video won't convice anyone who was not convinced before.
It is 100% true though .. I can't really argue the more detailed parts,
but the OVERALL STATEMENT is a GLOBAL TRUTH!
I don't really agree with this assessment. It is disingenuous to conclude that just because the left's values are more or the less the same doesn't mean that their ideas have not gotten more extreme. No one in the democratic party in 1970 would have approved of having an outspoken socialist be a leading presidential nominee (Bernie Sanders), would entertain the idea of defunding the police, or think that trans women are women. These are all debatable ideas inside the left now. I could say that the right still cares about economic development, a balanced budget, and a strong military just like the 70s. However, that would not speak to the shifts in ideas or policies from those values that have changed since then.
Excellent Robert - love watching your work since the 1970s
It is so refreshing to have people so grounded in reality like Mr. Reich.
I’m not from the US, but why separate people by “left”, “right” or “center”? It should be common sense on how to identify when someone is crazy vs when someone has a different perspective 😅.
I think the real problem is that people aren't listening to each other and finding compromises
How do you compromise with someone who wants to turn America into a theocratic autocracy?
Or someone who wants to force a 10 year old to give birth to a r8pist baby?
@@bigvaxmeanie925 You can start by listening to them instead of strawmanning their perspective.
@@LinkingYellow I listened, and I don't agree r@pe victims should be forced to carry their r@pist child.
There is no strawmanning their perspective because it's happening right now in this country
Well done! You are one of few commentators that I can ALWAYS trust. Thank you so much.
@@Zach-ju5vi Cry more
@@Zach-ju5vi You shouldn't flaunt your ignorance in public.
@@Zach-ju5vi but of course! It is far smarter to follow a fraud like Zach!
I'm right there with you and he at least doesn't lie and speaks the truth.
@@Zach-ju5vi OK, you win. Flaunt your ignorance wherever you like.
I’m a little confused. He explains that the new Left positions are simply extensions of the pre-existing philosophy. But if that’s true, then aren’t the unchanging Right positions extensions of their non-changing philosophy?
He’s incredibly biased. He took a very specific period of time to represent left wing politics, and he ignores that ideas such as gay marriage and civil rights are almost universally supported on the right. A guy like Bernie Sanders who literally called himself a democratic socialist became mainstream and nearly won the nomination. Both sides have changed dramatically.
@@SaintNyx Gay marriage has only just recently been BARELY supported on the right, and definitely not 'almost universally'. From the 2021 Gallup poll: "Republicans, who have consistently been the party group least in favor of same-sex marriage, show majority support in 2021 for the first time (55%)." Before 2021, the majority of republicans were OPPOSED to gay marriage, while the majority of Democrats supported it from 2004 onwards.
@@SaintNyx You say Gat Marriage and Civil Rights are almost universally supported on the right but then the right want to ban abortion rights and we all know they will ban gay marriage if they ever get a majority in the election. Republicans voted in full support of everything Trump did and they still continue to defend him despite his attempts to overthrow the election and incited his cult followers to attack the capitol and kdinap his own vice president. Wake me up when the left has come even close to reaching that level of extremism because its not even close.
@@SaintNyx I am pretty sure Clarence Thomas said we should revisit gay marriage. So too does Ted Cruz and any Republican vying for election. The evangelicals are welding a lot of power.
@@Diana-ro4pr We also have self-proclaimed democratic socialists running for president and sitting in the senate and congress. Both parties certainly have their extremes.
I do agree that evangelicals are undesirable, but they weren't incredibly uncommon in the past either. Just 10 years ago, the Democrats would have considered gay marriage a radical concept, for example.
For American standards I'm rather left leaning (because I'm European). The polarization does not come from the right becoming more radical, but rather the finger pointing at each other (as demonstrated in this video)
You can't address something if you keep quiet about it.
@@Iquey I guess, but you're gonna live a life with more anger, more fighting, more etc... for what? We're all humans, we're all capable of some horrible beliefs. All we can really do is be kind to each other
I'm afraid that kindness we seek is all but dried up. The flag my neighbor flies says, "Fuck your feelings. Trump 2024."
How much more kindness are we to show these people who have no ability or no desire to reciprocate?
@@youarenotaghost2589 you think that response is due to the "other side" being too kind? What if it's retaliation?
Was hoping for a real analysis of trends driving polarisation. What I got was superficial at best.
"The right has moved dangerously close to fascism."
The right has moved into fascism.
Their close. If "Make America Great Again" (a national myth) had legal weight to it, it'd be fascism.
The thing is that fascism is actually politically neutral. Both sides can be fascist by definition.
@@matts1166 k? well we're in a republican white supremacist and bigoted fascist moment sis
You don't know what a fascist is.
@@matts1166 Extreme right is termed fascism, or nazism. That said, you are correct in that extreme right and extreme left are both totalitarian. Different starting points, same result.
Agreed 100% ! Ronald Reagan began this decline on the right with his "trickle down economics".
WE MUST VOTE BLUE if we want to save our Democratic Republic
💙🇺🇸💙🇺🇸💙
Biden and his gang aren't much better (they're corporate lackeys), but they are slightly better than the Republikkkans.
Reagan started the 'greed is good' mentality among corprate executives, which in turn set up average working class people for minimal wage increases, if any, for the decades since.
@@michaeljohnangel6359 That's because corporate donors basically determine who is even able to run a successful campaign or not. Voters merely get to pick out which corporate lackey they tolerate most.
But thanks to the internet, there are starting to be some candidates that actually make it through without corporate backing, which is at least hope.
@@shadow_of_thoth Yes, I'll go along with that. If that could come to fruition, there might be hope.
@@michaeljohnangel6359 I am anti-Republican, not pro-Democrat. I don't "side" with Biden, he's just the best thing we have to settle with right now. It's best to turn and start fixing Biden now.
Using Hueys to represent the iconic symbol of the American War on Vietnam is kinda appropriate. Because they're really basically pickup trucks.
If one looks at the GOP platform, imagine 1996, there is at least a platform. But today, they are batshi! Crazy with no viable platform
How do we bring each side back together? Firstly, dismiss both parties as being corrupted by corporate control and self interests. Second, make it clear that both sides irregardless of political leanings are fighting the same enemy that wants us divided and weak, our two party system! We have always had differences of opinion it’s just now that it is our crooked government that seeks to divide us all in the name of lining the politicians pockets and advancing giant corrupt corporations. We’re actually fighting the same machine weather we see it or not.
The left can stay where they are (your left is literally centrist by european standards), just ditch the two party system and fill in a whole bunch more options all along the spectrum including more leftist parties and not just more centrist-closer rightwingers so that your options aren't just the two de facto centrists and the literal nazis.
@@Call-me-Al Ranked-choice voting could allow two parties in states that only have one.
Or start having 3rd parties that actually represent the needs and wants of the people.
Balls in the rights court and the DOJ. The left are still attempting to be bipartisan, which is prudent until there's no other option.
@@LiefRunsFar You know, I've heard that for years and IF a third party could actually win, that might solve major issues. But, Lief, that would be a recipe for certain disaster at this point. Third parties DO run in elections and the most votes they have ever received(Ross Perot) is about 18 or 19% of the vote. Ross Perot running was the only reason Bill Clinton won instead of George Bush Sr. If a real left liberal ran for president against a liberal and a conservative, the conservative would win hands down.
You might think it is over the top to say the modern GOP is building a fascist regime, but that's exactly what was said about the claims of Nazi extremism even as late as 1939 after they had invaded Czechoslovakia and Poland.
@@Zach-ju5vi
It can be said, but not honestly.
PS: I don't like the democrats either, but at least they aren't the wannabe fascists and fascists capitulators that are currently running the right wing politics and media.
You so full of it you squeak when you walk.
@@Zach-ju5vi If it was a Republican who had pushed vaccine mandates, you'd be all for them. You're only against them because the trashy talk-radio hosts you listen to are against them.
@@Zach-ju5vi Trump is only one person. You are conservative, so you no doubt listen to conservatives, most of whom are against mandates. I bet you've gotten flu and tetanus vaccines before, but suddenly you're against covid vaccines. Hmm I wonder why.
Woke Stupidity has the Democrats circling the drain.
It’s very interesting to hear from others experience and viewpoints surrounding politics. I live in an area that is mostly republican, and it’s commonplace to hear the democrats or “left” be called socialists. This is the first time I’ve heard the “right” be called fascists. As the video mentions politics have become so polarizing that it has become difficult to form an unbiased political stance. Whether that’s due to changing party views, media, or just where someone lives.
I refer you to the video by ryan chapman on what a fascist is, it helped me understand that most people use it incorrectly. Definitions are important if we are really trying to find solutions. I have come to believe that anyone who tries to redefine a word is almost always misrepresenting the issue.
I used to joke that I was once middle of the road but politics shifted the road so far right I found I'm now in left field!
During the same period, the American Catholic Church moved to the right as well. No big surprise. It's been observed that the Church tends to be at least a partial social mirror. I went to Catholic school in the 70s and 80s. I don't even recognize it now.
Same. Full of qanon here.
I like this visual, one I've got is that there's a landscape of ideas on how to run the country and everyone has a box. Liberals put what is absolutely forbidden into that box, everything else is up for debate. Conservatives put everything that is permitted in that box, everything else is foreign and scary. What I've see over the past 25 years is the right accepting into their box many things that were/are in the left's box. They have embraced, imo purposefully and spitefully, things they know are deal breakers for others, simply to get one over on them, contrary for the sake of contrary.
Another interesting 'thing' is it shows you the right invented identity politics. That's what single issue voters are: people who have tied their identity to a political position.
It’s ridiculous how mad they get at the left for identity politics but don’t realize they’ve been the kings at it
They've also invented "cancel culture".
And I don't mean just the term! Conservatives have been banning ideas and people they didn't like from the public eye for centuries! We used to call those banned things "taboos" and the banned people all kinds of derogatory terms.
Now that liberal/leftist people have this power for the first time in western history, the conservative quickly gave it a new label and are now acting like they never did and never would do that.
"They have embraced, imo purposefully and spitefully, things they know are deal breakers for others, simply to get one over on them, contrary for the sake of contrary."
That's not really your opinion, that's fact. They quite gleefully boast about "owning the libs" when they think they've gotten one over.
I think the day I learned who Marjorie Taylor Greene was was also the day I understood which of the parties was the one that had moved
Honestly, both parties are becoming extreme and focusing on a few polarizing issues, and that seems to define an entire party. If you're a Republican, Democrats see you as someone who wants to walk around carrying a gun in each hand. If you're a Democrat, Republicans see you as someone who wants to take all of their hard-earned money and give it to people who don't want to work.
From where I stand, the biggest people who benefit from the system are the politicians. Politicians on both sides claim to fight for their constituents and the only thing that happens is that they become fairly wealthy over the decades that they sit in office while the people who elected them are no better off. Both sides blame the other for hindering their progress, but it's never in their favor to actually fix anything, because then they'd be out of a job.
The problem with the 2 party system we have is that if you don't vote for the major party candidate, your vote is pretty much worthless. You can vote for the 3rd-party candidate that most closely aligns with your values and political views, and can basically assure that your vote won't go towards a candidate that will win (it's statistically unlikely), or you can vote for a primary party candidate that's close and be more assured that your vote has a chance of actually mattering.
When you look at history, many governments last until the people who have power (democracy or not) figure out how to use the public's money for their own gain. The problem with any government is going to be the people. People are inherently evil and flawed, and when given power, often become corrupt.
Coming from a conservative, both parties have gone way away from what they originally stood for, and are more interested in getting re-elected and blaming the other side than actually doing something about it.