What a smarter Trumpism would sound like

Nov 7, 2019

Michael Lind, a visiting professor at the University of Texas and co-founder of the New America Foundation, dissects the evolution of Trumpism with keen insight. He introduces the concept of a 'new class war' that embodies cultural dimensions in class identity, reshaping political dynamics. Lind critiques the contrasting economic strategies between the U.S. and China, urging a strategic reevaluation. He also highlights the complexities of political identity and class alienation, emphasizing the need for a new social settlement to address deepening divides.

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INSIGHT

The New Class War

Michael Lind defines class based on upbringing and education, not just current income.
This emphasizes the hereditary nature of class, even in societies that claim to be meritocratic.

insights

INSIGHT

Class as Identity

Class identity significantly influences political behavior, encompassing culture, norms, and values.
This challenges traditional views of class based solely on material self-interest.

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ANECDOTE

Radical Elites?

Radical movements often originate within the professional-managerial class, like Occupy Wall Street and Jacobin.
Lind explains this by noting that political movements are often led by elites or dissident elites.

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Class Dynamics in Political Identity

04:05 • 17min

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Exploring Geoeconomics and Power Dynamics in Global Politics

21:02 • 3min

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Economic Strategies: USA vs China

23:50 • 18min

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Divisions and Demagoguery: Tracing Class and Identity in American Politics

41:20 • 20min

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The Populist Promise: Trump’s Shift from Campaign to Governance

01:01:17 • 5min

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Political Shifts and Disillusionment

01:06:29 • 19min

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The New Class War

Saving Democracy from the Managerial Elite

Michael Lind

In this controversial and groundbreaking new analysis, Michael Lind debunks the idea that populist insurgencies are primarily the result of bigotry. He traces how the breakdown of mid-century class compromises between business and labor led to the conflict and reveals the real battle lines. The book highlights the clash between the managerial overclass, which dominates government, economy, and culture, and the working class of the low-density heartlands. Lind argues that Western democracies must incorporate working-class majorities into decision-making to avert a never-ending cycle of clashes between oligarchs and populists and save democracy.

Michael Lind is a visiting professor at the University of Texas at Austin, the co-founder of the New America Foundation, and an important contributor to American Affairs, a journal originally created to imagine a more Trumpist conservatism.

Lind is by no means a supporter of Trump. But, for decades now, he has been developing a coherent intellectual worldview around many of the same issues that Trump intuited, however crudely, during his campaign. He’s one of the intellectuals that the nationalist conservatives trying to imagine a Trumpism after Trump tell me they read most closely.

There are three big pieces of Lind’s thought that I think help to illuminate this era. One is his idea of the “new class war,” which builds a deep cultural component into class identity and maps much better onto populist resentment. The next is his approach to China, which has long been skeptical of Washington’s optimistic consensus. And the third is his insistence that political conflicts — be they class wars or partisan ones — don’t end in victories, they end in “settlements.”

References:

"The New Class War" by Michael Lind

"The Return of Geoeconomics" by Michael Lind

"Classless Utopia versus Class Compromise" by Michael Lind

"Donald Trump, the Perfect Populist" by Michael Lind

Book recommendations:

The Machiavellian Defender’s of Freedom by James Burnham

Foundation by Isaac Asimov

The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers by Paul Kennedy

My book is available for pre-order! You can find it at www.EzraKlein.com.

Want to contact the show? Reach out at ezrakleinshow@vox.com

You can subscribe to Ezra's new podcast Impeachment, explained on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, Pocket Casts, or your favorite podcast app.

Credits:

Producer and Editor - Jeff Geld

Researcher - Roge Karma

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