Eminent Americans Left Behind
Sep 25, 2025
Sam Kahn, a writer and publisher known for his critiques of the American left, joins David Sessions, a public intellectual and labor commentator. They delve into their personal relationships with the left, exploring whether liberalism and leftism are philosophically aligned. Kahn provocatively argues that the current left undermines broader coalitions, while Sessions reflects on his journey through various political movements. They discuss potential winning issues for liberals and the costs of their political shifts, all while contemplating the future of democratic discourse in a evolving media landscape.
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Left-Liberal Dialectic Has Frayed
- Sam argues the left and liberalism used to form a productive dialectic but now the left often functions as an antagonist to liberal governance.
- He believes the left's moral-purity spiral undermines coalition-building and electability.
Left And Liberalism Are Philosophically Linked
- David says liberalism and the left share the same modernist faith in human agency and differ mainly on pace and scale of change.
- He sees them as strains within a single broader liberal project rather than wholly separate traditions.
From Marx Class To Union Organizing
- David recounts his path into left politics through reading Marx, attending Occupy, and organizing a graduate union.
- He tied intellectual interest in critique of capitalism to concrete labor organizing and DSA involvement.
