Has there been a MAJOR shift to the left in the political paradigm in the last ten years? [View all]

[Douglas Carpenter]

Last edited Sun Apr 27, 2014, 01:58 PM - Edit history (2)

It seems to me that back in the 90's, the New Deal was dead and buried. As President Clinton said, "The era of big government was over." Conservative Democrats who called themselves centrist, third way or "New Democrats" were about as far to the left as you could go in the mainstream of American body politic. And they did actually appear left-wing compared to the alternative. After September 11, 2001 things got expeditiously worse - far worse. And even "New Democrats" hated America according to a narrative that had become completely mainstream. Even cautious policies that would have been previously considered conservative had become defined as far left.

Since then it seems to me that a very positive but gradual shift to a more sound direction has occurred. Now there are voices well to the left of the third way that are working their way into the mainstream of political debate. Now the "liberals hate America" meme that had some sting in 2001 to 2004 has lost most of its audience. Now the awareness that income inequality is reaching the whole country and one is no longer immediately shouted down for pointing out the obvious.

Am I being delusionally optimistic or has their been at least in the terms of public debate an opening to progressive ideas that had largely disappeared in the 90's and were completely marginalized during the first term of the Bush Administration? Am I right in how I am perceiving this?

9 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	NO the range of discussion has not improved at all
	0 (0%)
	No, Actually the political paradigm has moved even farther to the right.
	7 (78%)
	There has been only a light improvement in the range of mainstream discussion. But not much
	0 (0%)
	Yes, I think you are right. There has been a very real shift in the range of discussion in mainstream political discussion
	2 (22%)
	A good whole wheat bread is rough in texture and has enough taste and richness to almost seem like a main course in itself.
	0 (0%)
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