Joshua Kluever, Binghamton University, State University of New York
The leftist Democratic Socialists of America was tiny before the 2016 election. Now, with 90,000 dues-paying members and four seats in Congress, the DSA is upending Democratic politics nationwide.
The progressive left should not content itself with being a junior partner in Liberal minority governments. In the next election, they should seek to propose a principled, realistic alternative.
For international observers, it may be stunning to see Justin Trudeau’s government reduced to a minority after his meteoric rise to power in 2015. It happened because he disappointed his progressive base.
Wealth inequality is no 21st-century phenomenon. But it was decisively shaped by public policy during the last 100 years as economies emerged from war and redesigned the structures for life.