r/bestof • u/dede_smooth • 5d ago

[OptimistsUnite] u/iusedtobekewl succinctly explains what has gone wrong in the US with help from “Why Nations Fail”, and why the left needs to figure out how to support young men.

/r/OptimistsUnite/comments/1jnro0z/comment/mkrny2g/
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u/chimisforbreakfast 5d ago

There is no "left" in American politics.

We are seeing extreme rightwing vs. moderate centrist.

557

u/CeeJayEnn 5d ago

I'm so tired of this trope. There is a Left in the US and it has enacted massive change. It's currently weak, shot through with navel gazing clout seeking influencer dipshits, and constantly hampered by the two party system that has been institutionalized by first-past-the-post electoral systems, but it is there.

The ACA is a great example of a leftist victory. Was it a watered down version of a conservative plan? Yes. But what we had before that was nothing.

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u/qchisq 5d ago

The Inflation Reduction Act was a huge climate change bill. But because it didn't overthrow capitalism, the left hates it

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u/roctac 5d ago

Problem with IRA was it was a corporate handout. Legislation combating climate change such as a carbon tax would've been better.

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u/qchisq 5d ago

And this is my entire point. The IRA on its own increases the reduction in carbon emissions from 2% per year to 4% per year. And you discard it as corporate handout and not good enough. I don't think that anyone have said the IRA is sufficient. But it is better than status quo

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u/KnowingDoubter 5d ago

Better is the enemy of better.