Abundance: The Future of the American Left

Reflection on Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson

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Image Credit: NYT.

“A good way to marginalize the most dangerous political movements is to prove the success of your own. If liberals do not want Americans to turn to the false promise of strongmen, they need to offer the fruits of effective government. Redistribution is important. But it is not enough.” — Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson

Scrolling through headlines and social media, it is clear we are in the midst of a political realignment: a devolution into a world where politicians no longer abide by established American norms, responsible for decades of relative prosperity.

In the last few months, American citizens have witnessed the erosion of their constitutional rights and the perversion of their founding principles. And while one party has fallen in line, unable to mount a resistance, the other has largely failed to intervene. Lacking an effective leader and direction, the popularity of the Democratic Party has plummeted. If American liberals hope to control the White House or have any real influence in governance, a successful repositioning is of utmost importance. Donald Trump did not rise to power thanks to his political acumen and sound policy; his rise was precipitated by years of failures on the American left: a failure to serve the average citizen. And while thoughtful policy proposals may not have put Trump in the White House, they are what is required to dislodge his harmful ideology from the American political system.

Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson offers a perspective with which to revolutionize a party that has failed to metamorphose. Rather than generate new methods for addressing 21st-century challenges, liberals have relied upon drawn-out court cases and legal barriers—key to their 20th-century success—to push for their agenda. When paired with American conservatism, intent on “attacking government,” we are left with politicians and institutions that are unable to govern. Or more aptly: Build.

Even while surrounded by the nearly unimaginable material wealth and widespread luxuries unthinkable to the early 20th-century American, the US has failed to invent and build more of what people need. Klein puts it well: “We have a startling abundance of the goods that fill a house and a shortage of what’s needed to build a good life.”

To counter the populist right, Democrats—and Republicans—should focus on building more homes, investing in green energy (including nuclear), and providing funding for high-risk scientific research. The government needs to improve its collaboration with the private sector to bring to life technologies that would otherwise not be invented, and deploy those that are already around. Rather than leave the distribution of the fruits of American innovation to the Chinese, the US should take a proactive approach to manufacturing and delivery. To combat the climate crisis, maintain our leadership in Artificial Intelligence — a technology unlike any other — and enhance the quality of American lives beyond mere material luxuries, we must rethink our approach to government. The America of the past, built upon antiquated, ineffective legalism, is insufficient. We need an America that invents, that builds, and that, above all else, champions abundance over scarcity.