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Collapse of the progressive economy: the future belongs to blue-collar workers

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Re: Collapse of the progressive economy: the future belongs to blue-collar workers

#11

Post by dsfyu404ed »

pjc50 wrote: post #3

Bizarre article that thinks the rise of worker power through unions might be bad for the Left?

The politics of your average blue collar worker, union or not, is very far from what comes out of the mouth of your average white collar left leaning type on pretty much every issue except possibly union stuff (and abortion stuff which varies wildly depending on where you propose on drawing the policy line and is a pretty low priority to your average blue collar worker in general) if the particular blue collar worker swings that way on that issue.

So yeah, the left having to cater to blue collar people is bad for the people who care about the stuff the left is currently prioritizing.

Re: Collapse of the progressive economy: the future belongs to blue-collar workers

#14

Post by joenot443 »

pjc50 wrote: post #3

Bizarre article that thinks the rise of worker power through unions might be bad for the Left?

I don't think that point was being made even at all. The article is trying to illustrate that the politics espoused by the wealthy and influential left is actually profoundly different and often times at odds with the personal positions held by working-class individuals.

Re: Collapse of the progressive economy: the future belongs to blue-collar workers

#17

Post by esarbe »

tsimionescu wrote: post #9
jmeister wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s an awful title, probably chosen by the editors. The author Kotkin knows and does better.

The author uses the term constantly throughout the article, and really seems to think the Left should be pretty afraid of blue-collar workers gaining power and unionizing. I very much doubt the author knows what they are talking about.

That was my impression as well.

Seems to be some conservative culture warrior type.

Re: Collapse of the progressive economy: the future belongs to blue-collar workers

#18

Post by MilStdJunkie »

pjc50 wrote: post #3

Bizarre article that thinks the rise of worker power through unions might be bad for the Left?

In the U.S., there's a not-entirely-mistaken perception that the Democratic Party abandoned organized labor in the Clinton era, starting with AR Labor Reform Bill of 1978 and climaxing in NAFTA.

This Democrat "triangulation" - social left + blacks + structured finance - has been the DNC model for a while. According to some. Post-2008, it's obviously got problems with some of its bits.

Often missed in this analysis: the intensifying ethnonatalist streak of American labor, and the problematic (if historic?) union involvement of organized crime and its natsec enablers. Theoretically Luciano was on payroll to help stop communism, but patsies have a disturbing tendency to turn into leaders of the organization they are supposed to be infiltrating. Both Hitler and Stalin being good examples of this.

Re: Collapse of the progressive economy: the future belongs to blue-collar workers

#20

Post by esarbe »

roenxi wrote: post #6

"Progressive" makes it sound like the Republicans don't support it. There has been in-practice bipartisan support for the growth of the centrally planned economy. It wouldn't surprise me if the US government has fairly direct control over more than half the financial flows in the US economy after including 2nd order effects; even though officially it is only around 40%. The political consensus has been "This is good,…

> They are barely competent at running the key government institutions.

That's by design. In the last forty years, Reaganism has firmly taken hold of both parties, i.e. "starve the beast".

This is at display again currently with the efforts of getting the IRS's budget cut - nevermind that improved collection would improve the budget. It's not about the budget - it's about who's paying the bill. Or not paying - in this case.

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