As one who favors a big green grid build-out, but opposes narratives that obscure hurdles in its way, some questions about hurdles. One is legislative. GND will need a congressional majority, and the New Dem PAC caucus and the Progressive caucus are comparably sized. 1/10
Is shaming moderates for complicity in a rigged system wise tactically? Probably not, but perhaps the movement believes it is strategically smart—that moderates will be pushed left or replaced with progressives in these seats. Is that likely enough as a working premise? 2/10
A second question is how to pay for the infrastructure build out. Progressives rightly point to deficit spending for other priorities and ask why in those cases but not this one? Fair question, but also not quite an answer to the “how to pay” problem. 3/10
One could shift revenues from other programs to a government-run infrastructure build-out. My sense is that existing priorities are popular too, so that is politically feasible only through the kind of legislative bargaining at which Pelosi excels. 4/10
Another option apparently favored in some Democratic Socialist circles comes from modern monetary theory, which suggests that expenditures be financed by the government printing more currency, which will trigger a demand-pull stimulus. 5/10
That solution entails assumptions about inflation and capital markets that even the most liberal macroeconomic experts don’t share: krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/15/mmt…. To put it mildly. I don’t know if MMT is a working premise for some progressives or not. 6/10
There are of course many more implementation questions that will require deliberation and expertise. Hard to see how those are addressed successfully without respectful, open exchange of ideas between Dem party factions. 7/10
It makes sense that Democratic Socialists are skeptical of establishment “experts,” or that they lack faith in the political system because it has failed them economically and failed to produce a response to an existential environmental problem. 8/10
So intra-party criticism of GND looks like the system pushing back against an invader. But can deflecting/delegitimizing critical analysis that comes from outside the movement be a prescription for long run success? 9/10
If the next few years is indeed a propitious moment for strong climate action, won’t success depend upon the non-GOP coalition being willing to make a distinction between goals and how to reach them, and to be open to debate on the latter. 10/10
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