Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as people try to storm the US Capitol in Washington D.C on January 6, 2021. (Photo: Joseph PreziosoAFP via Getty Images)
Let's Be Clear: Only the Right Has Become More Extreme Over the Last 50 Years
Like in the early 1970s, the left is still against the war machine, still pushing for civil and voting rights, and still fighting the power of big corporations. But the right has moved far, far rightward.
How did we get so politically divided? Well, it's NOT because both sides have gotten more extreme.
I got my start in American politics 50 years ago. My political views then -- to grossly simplify them -- were that I was against the Vietnam War and the military-industrial complex, strongly supportive of civil and voting rights, and against the power of big corporations. That put me here: just left of the center.
Back then, the political spectrum from left to right was short. The biggest political issue was the Vietnam War. The left was demonstrating against it, sometimes violently. Since I was committed to ending the war through peaceful political means, I volunteered for George McGovern, the anti-war presidential candidate. Even Richard Nixon on the right was starting to look for ways out of Vietnam.
Twenty-five years later, I was in Bill Clinton's cabinet, and the left-to-right political spectrum stretched much longer. The biggest change was how much further right the right had moved. Ronald Reagan had opened the political floodgates to corporate and Wall Street money -- bankrolling right-wing candidates and messages that decried "big government."
Bill Clinton sought to lead from the "center," but by then the "center" had moved so far right that Clinton gutted public assistance, enacted "tough on crime" policies that unjustly burdened the poor and people of color, and deregulated Wall Street. All of which put me further to the left of the center--although my political views had barely changed.
Today, the spectrum from left to right is the longest it's been in my 50 years in and around politics. The left hasn't moved much at all. We're still against the war machine, still pushing for civil and voting rights, still fighting the power of big corporations. But the right has moved far, far rightward.
Donald Trump brought America about as close as we've ever come to fascism.He incited an attempted coup against the United States. He and most of the Republican Party continue to deny that he lost the 2020 election.And they're getting ready to suppress votes and disregard election outcomes they disagree with. So don't believe the fear-mongering that today's left is "radical." What's really radical is the right's move toward fascism.
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just four days to go in our Spring Campaign, we are not even halfway to our goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
How did we get so politically divided? Well, it's NOT because both sides have gotten more extreme.
I got my start in American politics 50 years ago. My political views then -- to grossly simplify them -- were that I was against the Vietnam War and the military-industrial complex, strongly supportive of civil and voting rights, and against the power of big corporations. That put me here: just left of the center.
Back then, the political spectrum from left to right was short. The biggest political issue was the Vietnam War. The left was demonstrating against it, sometimes violently. Since I was committed to ending the war through peaceful political means, I volunteered for George McGovern, the anti-war presidential candidate. Even Richard Nixon on the right was starting to look for ways out of Vietnam.
Twenty-five years later, I was in Bill Clinton's cabinet, and the left-to-right political spectrum stretched much longer. The biggest change was how much further right the right had moved. Ronald Reagan had opened the political floodgates to corporate and Wall Street money -- bankrolling right-wing candidates and messages that decried "big government."
Bill Clinton sought to lead from the "center," but by then the "center" had moved so far right that Clinton gutted public assistance, enacted "tough on crime" policies that unjustly burdened the poor and people of color, and deregulated Wall Street. All of which put me further to the left of the center--although my political views had barely changed.
Today, the spectrum from left to right is the longest it's been in my 50 years in and around politics. The left hasn't moved much at all. We're still against the war machine, still pushing for civil and voting rights, still fighting the power of big corporations. But the right has moved far, far rightward.
Donald Trump brought America about as close as we've ever come to fascism.He incited an attempted coup against the United States. He and most of the Republican Party continue to deny that he lost the 2020 election.And they're getting ready to suppress votes and disregard election outcomes they disagree with. So don't believe the fear-mongering that today's left is "radical." What's really radical is the right's move toward fascism.
How did we get so politically divided? Well, it's NOT because both sides have gotten more extreme.
I got my start in American politics 50 years ago. My political views then -- to grossly simplify them -- were that I was against the Vietnam War and the military-industrial complex, strongly supportive of civil and voting rights, and against the power of big corporations. That put me here: just left of the center.
Back then, the political spectrum from left to right was short. The biggest political issue was the Vietnam War. The left was demonstrating against it, sometimes violently. Since I was committed to ending the war through peaceful political means, I volunteered for George McGovern, the anti-war presidential candidate. Even Richard Nixon on the right was starting to look for ways out of Vietnam.
Twenty-five years later, I was in Bill Clinton's cabinet, and the left-to-right political spectrum stretched much longer. The biggest change was how much further right the right had moved. Ronald Reagan had opened the political floodgates to corporate and Wall Street money -- bankrolling right-wing candidates and messages that decried "big government."
Bill Clinton sought to lead from the "center," but by then the "center" had moved so far right that Clinton gutted public assistance, enacted "tough on crime" policies that unjustly burdened the poor and people of color, and deregulated Wall Street. All of which put me further to the left of the center--although my political views had barely changed.
Today, the spectrum from left to right is the longest it's been in my 50 years in and around politics. The left hasn't moved much at all. We're still against the war machine, still pushing for civil and voting rights, still fighting the power of big corporations. But the right has moved far, far rightward.
Donald Trump brought America about as close as we've ever come to fascism.He incited an attempted coup against the United States. He and most of the Republican Party continue to deny that he lost the 2020 election.And they're getting ready to suppress votes and disregard election outcomes they disagree with. So don't believe the fear-mongering that today's left is "radical." What's really radical is the right's move toward fascism.