Bad Faith Episode 517 Promo - Abundance Blames The Left (w/ Aaron Regunberg & Kate Willett)
Oct 13, 2025
This discussion dives into the ongoing battle within the Democratic Party. It challenges the notion that the left is solely to blame for electoral failures, highlighting the influence of tech-funded centrism on Kamala Harris's campaign. Aaron Regunberg argues that a focus on left populism is essential to counter right populism. The hosts unpack how identity politics have been weaponized against economic initiatives and make a clear distinction between progressive and left labels. A spirited debate ensues on the party's path forward.
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Centrists, Not The Left, Shaped Harris's Campaign
- Kate Willett argues centrist and tech-aligned donors shaped Kamala Harris's neoliberal campaign, not the left.
- She says pundits who praised that centrist campaign now gaslight by blaming the left for its failure.
A Personal Memory That Illustrates The Debate
- Briahna Joy Gray recounts a personal interaction where someone denied Harris ran a centrist campaign, showing how contested that memory is.
- She connects that denial to debates about TPP and how shifting winds, not just the left, made it politically toxic.
Center Uses Identity Attacks To Block Populism
- Aaron Regunberg says performative identity-politics attacks were often centrist tactics to block economic populism.
- He argues centrists exploited such attacks to prevent Sanders-style takeovers, not that the left primarily drove them.