Theory of Change Podcast With Matthew Sheffield Theory of Change #046: Max Berger on what the left can learn from the right
Jul 18, 2022
01:03:10
American democracy is in crisis, much of it the direct product of Donald Trump, a petty scammer who managed to talk his way into the White House who was willing to overthrow our government after he lost in 2020.
But the crisis of the present moment is larger than Trump himself. It’s also larger than the extremist political movement that calls itself “conservatism” in the United States. The political left is also in crisis, a crisis of stasis. Poll after poll has shown that Americans overwhelmingly support more progressive public policies like universal health care, paid parental leave, higher taxes on the wealthy, more oversight for corporate behemoths, and a lot stronger protections for employees.
There’s no doubt that reactionary Republicans have played a role in stopping these policies from becoming reality, but it is also the case that more than a few Democrats have also worked hard to block them.
At the same time, however, progressive activists who do favor these policies and want to implement them for their fellow Americans have had difficulty promoting the ideas into law. What can be done about this situation? Can the political left take at least some lessons from the right on how to make change? I think so.
Joining me to discuss all this is Max Berger, he’s the editorial director of More Perfect Union, which is a new site featuring in-depth reporting about how corporate America abuses workers and showcasing employees who fight back. He also is the co-author of a 2018 report called “Beyond Trump: A Theory of Political Transition” that sought to give advice to progressives on a way forward.
GUEST INFO
Max Berger on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/maxberger
More Perfect Union:
https://perfectunion.us/
Report, "Beyond Trump: A Theory of Political Transition"
https://plantogovern.us/beyond-trump/
ABOUT THE SHOW
Theory of Change is hosted by Matthew Sheffield and is part of the Flux network, a new content community of podcasters and writers. Please visit us at https://flux.community to learn more and to tell us about what you're doing. We're constantly growing and learning from the great people we meet.
Theory of Change website:
https://theoryofchange.show
Theory of Change on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/TheoryChange
Matthew Sheffield on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/mattsheffield
SUPPORT THE SHOW
PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/theorychange
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/discoverflux
If you're not able to support financially, please help us by subscribing and/or leaving a nice review on your favorite podcast app. Doing this helps other people find Theory of Change and our great guests. Thanks for your help!
Theory of Change on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/theory-of-change-podcast/id1486920059
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theoryofchange.flux.community/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit plus.flux.community/subscribe
But the crisis of the present moment is larger than Trump himself. It’s also larger than the extremist political movement that calls itself “conservatism” in the United States. The political left is also in crisis, a crisis of stasis. Poll after poll has shown that Americans overwhelmingly support more progressive public policies like universal health care, paid parental leave, higher taxes on the wealthy, more oversight for corporate behemoths, and a lot stronger protections for employees.
There’s no doubt that reactionary Republicans have played a role in stopping these policies from becoming reality, but it is also the case that more than a few Democrats have also worked hard to block them.
At the same time, however, progressive activists who do favor these policies and want to implement them for their fellow Americans have had difficulty promoting the ideas into law. What can be done about this situation? Can the political left take at least some lessons from the right on how to make change? I think so.
Joining me to discuss all this is Max Berger, he’s the editorial director of More Perfect Union, which is a new site featuring in-depth reporting about how corporate America abuses workers and showcasing employees who fight back. He also is the co-author of a 2018 report called “Beyond Trump: A Theory of Political Transition” that sought to give advice to progressives on a way forward.
GUEST INFO
Max Berger on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/maxberger
More Perfect Union:
https://perfectunion.us/
Report, "Beyond Trump: A Theory of Political Transition"
https://plantogovern.us/beyond-trump/
ABOUT THE SHOW
Theory of Change is hosted by Matthew Sheffield and is part of the Flux network, a new content community of podcasters and writers. Please visit us at https://flux.community to learn more and to tell us about what you're doing. We're constantly growing and learning from the great people we meet.
Theory of Change website:
https://theoryofchange.show
Theory of Change on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/TheoryChange
Matthew Sheffield on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/mattsheffield
SUPPORT THE SHOW
PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/theorychange
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/discoverflux
If you're not able to support financially, please help us by subscribing and/or leaving a nice review on your favorite podcast app. Doing this helps other people find Theory of Change and our great guests. Thanks for your help!
Theory of Change on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/theory-of-change-podcast/id1486920059
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theoryofchange.flux.community/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit plus.flux.community/subscribe