Can you tell Left from Right?
Our new president keeps raving about Communists and leftists, without the slightest idea who he's talking about.
For anyone else afflicted with political confusion about Left and Right, The Left Coast offers the following clarification.
What the French did
According to the AI named Grok, which is owned by Elon Musk, here’s how the terms “left” and “right” began:
French National Assembly convened in 1789. Members were divided based on their political views. Those who supported the monarchy, the church, and traditional institutions sat on the right side of the assembly president. This group was generally more conservative and favored the status quo or less radical change.
And on the other side of the room:
Conversely, those who sat on the left side were in favor of radical change, including the abolition of the monarchy, land redistribution, and other revolutionary ideas. They were more progressive and advocated for the rights of the common people, equality, and liberty.
So then, what happened?
The physical arrangement in the assembly room thus became a metaphor for political leanings. Over time, "left" came to be associated with ideologies promoting change, equality, and often socialism or communism, while "right" was linked with conservatism, tradition, and later, capitalism and nationalism.
Today’s Left and Right
And so it remains 236 years later, except in the minds of some knuckleheads who can’t tell left from right. Today, in most countries in the world, the same definitions apply. Other words to describe the Right, include supporters of the monarchy, or in our country, the oligarchy. The Right, by definition, want to keep things just as they are. They are happy with the status-quo because most of the committed Right-wing are billionaires, or at least, part of the upper class, or they are very religious or committed to some ancient society or ways of doing things.
The Left, on the other hand, are mostly people of the working class. The Left is usually associated with socialism and equality. They are anti-war. They want health care to be free and available to all, a decent standard of living, and a society where everyone is treated with respect and dignity.
It is ignorant to say that Democratic Party activists are on the left. Are the Democrats in favor of free health care? No. Are the Democrats anti-war? Not if their recent record of intervention in Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Ukraine is any example. Are the Democrats in favor of socialism? No.
The Democratic Party should be placed closer to the Right, than the Left, on the above scale. They are no different from the Christian and Catholic political parties that are found in most European countries. These parties, like the Democrats, are usually attacking parties to their left, while they advocate war and intervention in the affairs of other countries.
Donald Trump, Roy Cohn and Joe McCarthy
Trump’s confusion with Democratic Party activists and the Left is either the result of stupidity or is an intentional effort to smear his political opponents. It is likely the latter. Trump had a close association with Roy Cohn, who was both the counsel for noted red-baiter Joe McCarthy, and for Donald Trump. (Red-Baiting means calling anyone a Communist, even if they are not. The tactic is used to demean political opponents. In this way, the political opponent is focused on, not the real issues in the campaign.)
Cohn’s job at the McCarthy committee was to ferret out Communists from government. Cohn did this, but he also went above and beyond his job by attacking non-communists in government. His final mistake was going after the U.S. Army in retaliation for drafting one of his friends on the committee. Because of Cohn’s action, McCarthy was censured by the Senate, and Cohn returned to New York, where he met Donald Trump.
Trump learned well from Cohn, including the tactic of calling middle-of-the-road politicians by using the pejorative of Communist. There is nothing wrong with being a Socialist or Communist. The Communist Party is a legal party that often runs candidates for office.
In many Western countries Communists hold high offices, and during the Roosevelt era, two members of the Communist Party were elected to the New York City Council. Other Communists were elected around the U.S. Numerous Socialists, who have a more favorable image to Americans, have been elected as well.
Trump, who is a Right-wing Republican, likely has no interest in smearing Socialists and Communists. Rather, he is interested in implying that non-Republicans could be further to the left than they really are.
The reason that so many social media commentators are confused about the left and the middle-of-the-road is probably due, in most cases, to sheer ignorance of the political spectrum. Whatever the reason, TV commentators and writers should educate themselves on this important topic.
Where have all the workers gone?
Where have all the workers gone?
Long time pandemic.
Where have all the workers gone?
The quarantine has changed them, every one.
Oh, Finally we have learned
Oh, Finally we have learned
Life is short
and jobs are oh so long
Let us do what is fulfilling
Let us dream a better world.
Make it real.
Oh Yes! Make it real.
-apologies to Pete Seeger (Where have all the flowers gone?)