The optimistic leftist : why the 21st century will be better than you think / Ruy Teixeira.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Teixeira, Ruy, 1951- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Liberalism--United States.

Right and left (Political science)--United States.

Political culture--United States.

Political culture.

Politics and government.

Right and left (Political science).

Liberalism.

United States.

United States--Politics and government--21st century.

Local Subjects:

Liberalism--United States.

United States--Politics and government--21st century.

Physical Description:

xiii, 256 pages ; 22 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : St. Martin's Press, 2017.

Summary:

"The left is likely to dominate the 21st century, and there is little the right can do about this except adapt. This seems counter-intuitive in light of the modest success the left has enjoyed since the great financial crisis of 2008-09. Though Democrats have done well in recent presidential elections, progressives have found themselves unable to move their most important policies forward, suffering through an endless series of battles with a determined and extreme Republican party. This has only been exacerbated by stunning Republican gains in recent congressional elections. But this short-sighted perspective overemphasizes the role of crisis and underestimates the role of long-term fundamental change. Ruy Teixeira's The Optimistic Leftist takes a look at the structural and economic shifts remaking advanced societies and shows that the left is in a far better position to advance its agenda than the right. Eventually, the right will be forced to play on the left's terms to be competitive. This is because only the left has growing, not declining, coalitional strength and only the left is willing to confront and solve capitalism's "Piketty problem" (a vicious cycle of rising inequality, stagnating living standards and slowing economic growth) by building a new equitable-growth "opportunity state.""-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Preface: Against pessimism

Introduction: Welcoming the future

The left in history: how and where has the left succeeded?

The postindustrial progressive coalition

From capitalism's Piketty problem to the opportunity state

The optimistic leftist

The left's 21st century.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 221-246) and index.

ISBN:

9781250089663

1250089662

OCLC:

947146050