Freddie deBoer, who I had a fantastic conversation with on this week’s Unaligned, is one of my favorite writers on Substack. His raw honesty and willingness to broach uncomfortable topics is what convinced me to become a paid subscriber to his page.
Freddie identifies as a Marxist, but isn’t afraid to tackle some of the sacred cows on the left. That’s how I found his work. I was struggling with my own concerns about the direction of the left and Freddie was willing to explore these issues through his writings.
The current political moment can be extremely alienating for people, especially when so many Americans feel the country’s two-party system does a poor job representing their best interests. I fall into that category of alienated and extremely frustrated Americans. I’ve been critiquing the left more harshly because Democrats happen to be closer to my political identity, but that’s been a pretty brutal experience.
Over the years, Democrats have moved further away from the very policies that made them appealing to me in the first place. Aside from policy, the cover-up around Joe Biden’s mental health and the undemocratic way in which he was replaced with Kamala Harris finally convinced me to register as an Independent. I didn’t vote for Harris or Trump in the last election cycle.
However, for the first time I’m noticing that I’m not so alone after all. Democratic voters are waking up and demanding more from their leaders after taking stock of the utter fecklessness of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Instead of attacking his critics (something I’m far too familiar with), voters are rightly directing their ire at Schumer for lying about his intentions to fight Republicans and the Trump Administration on the government funding bill. If it lasts, that type of voter-driven pressure could make all the difference in how the Democratic party evolves.
I hope you all enjoy my talk with Freddie. Please consider supporting his work here on Substack. I promise you won’t regret it.
He’s also the author of “The Cult of Smart: How Our Broken Education System Perpetuates Social Injustice” and “How Elites Ate the Social Justice Movement.”
Also, if you’re a free Unaligned reader or listener, please considering supporting my work by becoming a paid subscriber.
Thank you!
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