2min chapter

The Gray Area with Sean Illing cover image

Why the poor in America stay poor

The Gray Area with Sean Illing

CHAPTER

The American Left's Role in Fighting Poverty

Sally Kohn: It is much easier to point your armchair in the direction of history and bitch about this or that thing than it is to actually get up and make sacrifices and do something. How can the American left do a better job of fighting poverty?Kohn: I know that poor families in their future are going to pay for our silence and our chic nihilism among the progressive left.

00:00
Speaker 2
Why do you think that is? Obviously, it is much easier to point your armchair in the direction of history and bitch about this or that thing than it is to actually get up and make sacrifices and do something. I mean, maybe it's just that simple.
Speaker 1
Paul Olensky talked about the difference between a real radical and rhetorical radical. And he said a real radical does whatever it takes to get it done. He or she wants real wins. This was like back in the day when guys had long hair, right? And he's like, if your hair gets in the way of you getting your message across, a real radical cuts his hair. He joins the church if that's where the people are. He learns to talk in a different way. And I think that that's different than what Olensky might call this rhetorical radical. A radical in speech or social media presentation. But are we getting out? Are we cutting our hair? Are we seeking those real wins? I was with Heather McGee last night, the author of Some of Us. And we did an event in New York. And she made this really brilliant point where she said that many members of the left and the progressive parts of America, they want something different than the Democratic establishment. But the Democratic establishment delivered in a major way to families during COVID. But those progressives that want something different want new leadership, new blood, they have a hard time giving credit where credit is due because they feel constrained by that. And I get that. I think that's right. I think that's a real dynamic. But I think that one thing that dynamic does is send a message to our leaders. They can make these deep, deep investments in fighting poverty and not get a lot of political capital for it. It's risky these days to go on social media and cheer for something actually. You got a lot more credit if you chop something at the knees. But that's where the likes and retweets are
Speaker 2
in the critiques. Yeah. But
Speaker 1
I worry. I don't worry. I know that poor families in their future are going to pay for that dynamic and for our silence and our chic nihilism among the progressive left.
Speaker 3
How can the American left do a better job
Speaker 2
of fighting poverty?

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