From the “Biden’s In” thread:
Clearly both of you gentlemen find the “far left” or “ultra left” to be unacceptably far left.
But you think they’ve gotten big enough to have “taken over” or to potentially “force Biden to shift from the center.” So this isn’t just AOC, Ilhan Omar, and one or two others we’re talking about.
So who are these people, and what shared policy positions or other shared tendencies make this “far/ultra left” so unacceptable to you folks?
Beats me. Have the Democrats, on the whole, drifted any further to the left than Republicans have to the right? To my way of thinking - nope. I tend to go with Democratic ideas, almost by default (very few statements/ideas/proposals that Republicans/conservatives come out with these days do I agree with. VERY few). Does that make me a “radical Leftist”? Not in MY book, it doesn’t! As far as I’m concerned I’m simply a fair-minded individual who doesn’t like the idea of having a person as morally and ethically bankrupt in the W.H. as we do now. But I guess that makes me a “villain” to those on the “Right” these days. So sad.
You can start with the 98 members of Congressional Progressive Caucus
and also look at the Democratic Socialist of America which has been very active at the state and local level.
Neither of these groups could be considered ultra left, HurricaneDitka’s and aceplace57’s pearl clutching notwithstanding.
mc
In Canada, they are called Liberals.
I am floored to learn I live in a far-left state under the profligate government of the Prime Minister and his socialist tax collectors!
I’m not sure the people who use this phrase have a precise definition in mind. Indeed, precision of thought doesn’t seem to be a strong point with most of them. Here’s what I’ve gleaned:
The people who get labeled thusly seem to be those who are concerned with racial justice or gender issues, particularly those who have the temerity to actually be minorities or women. Anyone under fifty is considered an ultra-leftist until proven otherwise. Anyone who believes that racially based police brutality exists in this country is definitely an ultra-leftist. The existence of transgender people is a myth spread by ultra-leftists in order to raise your taxes. Anyone proposing policies that might benefit the working and middle classes, such as increased access to education or health care. Do you question whether oil companies have the best interests of the nation at heart? If so, you are probably part of the lunatic fringe far left!!
Perhaps it could be summed up by saying that an ultra-leftist is any Democrat who says anything that would make Archie Bunker uncomfortable.
And of course it goes without saying that anyone who has ever, at any time in the past, supported any gun control legislation whatsoever is straight from the ninth circle of ultra-left hell.
I don’t know that there’s one set of “shared policy positions” that I’d say describes the “far left”. They’ve got varied interests and don’t always agree. But I can give you some examples:
The people advocating for reparations for blacks are, IMHO, part of the far left wing of the Democratic Party. It’s also a position supported by 26% of Americans, which makes it a pretty sizable portion of the Democratic Party (I don’t think there’s much of an argument to be made that many of the reparations-advocates are Republicans)
Likewise, “Abolish ICE” seems like a far left proposal to me, and yet, it is supported by about a quarter of the population.
The people advocating for a ban on civilian handgun ownership are part of the far-Left IMHO. Again, it’s a position supported by 28% of the population.
Those obviously aren’t all the exact same people. Some of the “abolish ICE” crowd might think handguns are OK, someone who wants to ban handguns might think reparations are nuts, etc. but in general I don’t have any difficulty ascribing all three positions a “far left” location on our political spectrum.
(emphasis added).
I am glad you qualified it as an American idiosyncrasy because for most of the liberal democracies that the US ostensibly supports, most such positions are close to, if not at, the centre.
Do you care that the US is no longer seen as the Leader of the Free World? Sure, I know it’s just an old trope but it’s been around a long time for a reason. Individual freedom as embodied in the aspirations of the US Constitution is something that requires global leadership. Yet you seem to see these hopes as nothing more than a far-left shibboleth.
Seriously, Ditka’s answer actually makes sense. The far left, by definition, are the people who are to the left of almost everyone else, who hold positions that only a small minority agree with. Of course, by that definition it’s impossible for the “far left” to be taking over the Democratic Party, since if they are numerous enough to do so, they can’t be a small minority.
So, I guess it’s used as a pejorative for people who hold views that *used * to be fringe positions, but are growing popular enough to be mainstream.
I consider myself to be left of center, but not far left. I was actually going to guess that this would be the answer given by someone on the right. It’s more a matter which policy positions the far left politicians focus on rather than holding wildly divergent views compared to someone who is moderately left of center.
The green new deal calls for the state commandeering resources on a scale never before seen - and we aren’t in recession!
Instead of a fascist-lite ACA, Democrats call for nationalization of health insurance.
A leading presidential candidate and the most popular congresswoman support the policy proposals of MMT. Basically, there should be no worry of paying for any proposal, just print money. They still like taxes for punitive purposes though.
Culturally, positions that Barack Obama (and every major primary opponent of his) held have become the positions of “reactionary right wingers”.
Yes, to deny a move leftward in the Democratic party is a wishful denial.
Also “white” male presidential candidates have been forced to debase themselves in regards to a theory of “white privilege” that would be a Maoists dream.
The far left is just as radical and dangerous as the far right. Imho
The country needs to be governed by centrists. People that are willing to compromise on some issues and work with the other party.
That worked for most of the 20th century. There were certainly strong differences of opinion between the partys. Some issues never got resolved. But, a lot of bipartisan legislation did pass.
It’s hard to define the far left. Certainly a Socialist agenda and the Green movement are part of it.
A liberal doesn’t have to be that far to the left.
Only in the U.S. is a more efficient, more effective national health care system considered a “far left” concept.
This tells us that you draw a line, but it doesn’t tell us where that line is drawn. Name some prominent Centrists that you would be willing to support politically.
Out of curiosity, which liberal democracies have made reparations, as in cash payments to the descendants of slaves, for the African slave trade?
Also, which liberal democracies, outside of some minnows that don’t have airports, don’t have agencies that enforce border controls?
Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris are two that I like. They aren’t traditional Democrats but are closer than Elizabeth Warren.
I’m still studying Cory Booker.
There aren’t any Centrists anymore. Both parties expect absolute loyalty. Reaching across the aisle gets people in trouble.
All three have shifted further left since joining the Presidential election. That’s true of all the Democrats.
Retired Senator Joe Lieberman is trying to mobilize the center. I can only hope his organization No Labels can make a difference.
Far left, or ultra-left is anything that is to the political left of ME
So, for example, if I believe that minimum wages should be abolished, healthcare is a commodity best served by a free market, and that being gay is a choice that is designed to weaken and destroy our society…
Then it logically follows that the far left, radical cray-cray segment are those people who believe in a minimum wage policy, any government involvement in health care, and any gay rights whatsoever. They are far left radical insane people.
The fact that far left people exist and are not Republicans automatically makes them Democrats. The fact that they are Democrats automatically makes all Democrats just like them because every group is defined and indistinguishable from its worst elements. (See: Muslims, immigrants, etc.)
Republican “logic” 101.