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Left Behind: The Democrats' Failed Attempt to Solve Inequality
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20/99
Critics' Rating Index
40/99
Readers' Rating Index
90/99
Scholars' Citation Index
51/99
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About This Book
The 40-year history of how Democrats chose political opportunity over addressing inequality—and how the poor have paid the price For decades, the Republican Party has been known as the party of the arguing for "business-friendly" policies like deregulation and tax cuts. But this incisive political history shows that the current inequality crisis was also enabled by a Democratic Party that catered to the affluent. The result is one of the great missed opportunities in political a moment when we had the chance to change the lives of future generations and were too short-sighted to take it. Historian Lily Geismer recounts how the Clinton-era Democratic Party sought to curb poverty through economic growth and individual responsibility rather than asking the rich to make any sacrifices. Fueled by an ethos of "doing well by doing good," microfinance, charter schools, and privately funded housing developments grew trendy. Though politically expedient and sometimes profitable in the short term, these programs fundamentally weakened the safety net for the poor. This piercingly intelligent book shows how bygone policy decisions have left us with skyrocketing income inequality and poverty in America and widened fractures within the Democratic Party that persist to this day.
Reviews
"Geismer's book is a wonderfully detailed history of a now-extinct faith; the D.L.C."
"The microfinance initiatives get chapter after chapter, while more important policy interventions are dealt with summarily or not at all ..."
"It is a book about well-intentioned policy not working out, but also about blasé indifference of policymakers as to whether their policies worked or not, and whether the point was for them to 'work' for the people affected by policy or for ideas to work in a speech."
"Catnip for policy wonks and political junkies, offering solid lessons for Democrats going forward."
"Readers will gain valuable insight into the Clinton presidency and its legacy in today's distrust between progressives and centrist Democrats."
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