Roundup: June 19, 2025
News and Views Concerning Working-Class Politics
Abundance means carrots…and sticks. Wolfgang Streeck makes his case for the “downward exit” from globalism. And Kamala Harris can’t hide behind identity politics. Plus, despite Mamdani Madness, can Zohran really break out of the professional-class progressive bubble?
Below you’ll find a range of news and views that concern working-class politics, class dealignment, and political strategy. Many are written by research associates and friends of the Center for Working-Class Politics.
To Get Abundance, We Need to Discipline Capital
Economist Brian Callaci argues that the abundance agenda misses the mark by not including a plan for disciplining capital. Relying on the actions of private investment can only meet so many working-class infrastructural needs. What is needed is an agenda that promotes investment while promoting a bold, robust, and powerful state regulatory framework.
The World Wolfgang Streeck Wants
Sociologist Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins sits down with German political-economist, and acclaimed prophet of populism, Wolfgang Streeck. They discuss the challenges that face Europe, his views on how to roll back the excesses of globalization, and how a populist politics of the Left might prevail.
Kamala Harris Didn’t Lose Because of Racism
Touré F. Reed argues, convincingly, against the common liberal crutch that Harris’ loss was owed to bigotry. Proponents of this argument, of which there are alarmingly many, ignore class and structural factors in favor of moral outrage. Ultimately, reducing right-wing populism to racial moralism weakens the left’s ability to engage with the real drivers of voter behavior.
Can Zohran Mamdani Expand the Left’s Base?
Jacobin founder Bhaskar Sunkara applauds surging NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani while calling us to recognize his struggles with working-class and minority voters. Thanks to his charisma and laser focus on economic issues, Mamdani has become a rising star on the Left. But if he is to continue his rise, he will need to break out of the professional-class left and win over blue-collar voters.
"Uncaptured" Identity Politics is No Substitute for a Politics of Class
Ben Burgis reviews Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò’s popular Elite Capture, arguing that it’s critique of identity politics doesn’t land. Even if we apply a class analysis to identity politics, we’re still left with a fragmented coalition encouraged to find differences rather than solidarity.
Democrats Must Become the Party of the Working Class—Or Else
High priced Democratic Party consultants are barking up the wrong tree argues James Zogby. Consultants’ version of the "center"—combining conservative economic policies with selectively liberal social ones—ignores polling that shows overwhelming working-class support for progressive economic positions like raising the minimum wage and expanding public healthcare.
Working-Class and College-Educated Voters Want New Progressive Economic Policies
The 2024 election results led some to believe working-class American simply were not interested in social democratic reforms. New evidence from the Center for American Progress shows that working-class and college-educated voters want a higher minimum wage, stronger unions, higher taxes on the rich, greater public investment in infrastructure, and an expanded social safety net.