Leighton Woodhouse is a journalist, video producer, and dear friend – and one of the sharpest people I know. Shant Mesrobian is a former Obama staffer who, along with Leighton, has become a key voice in what I call the “post-left” critique of the modern Democratic Party. You see, both Leighton and Shant come from classic leftist backgrounds: labor organizing, progressive journalism, etc. But they both have reached the conclusion that the modern Democratic Party, captured by corporate and elite interests, is harnessing identity politics to trample on the working class. 

You don’t have to agree with them – I don’t – to think their critique is worth listening to. And there is some troubling data to suggest there’s merit to their argument. For example, of the 10 most wealthy congressional districts, 100% – every single one! – is now a Democratic bastion. Is the modern “left” becoming a movement controlled by power and wealth? I don’t think that’s the case, as I argue in the podcast. But there are real risks that Leighton and Shant are pointing out. And if we’re not mindful of them, we could truly see progressive movements captured by corporate interests, and a reversal of political alignments that doesn’t just shake up our political traditions. It could very well lead to a violent populist uprising.

Read Leighton Woodhouse - Substack

Read Shant Mesrobian - Substack

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