CNN’s Zakaria: The Center Left Has Been Destroyed Electorally in the West the Last 10 Years

RUSH TRANSCRIPT:

ZAKARIA: First with their successing this week in the California primaries Democrats are increasingly optimistic. We should take note of the bigger picture. Over the last decade it has been destroyed across the west. Thigh might find themselves surprised one more time this November. When you tally up their representation in Congress and governorships, the Democrats almost have their lowest representation in about 100 years according to political scientists. They are not alone. Britain’s observed that the year before the labor party received its second worst elector ralg result in a century. In Germany the once dominant social Democrats had the worst showing since it was created in 1949. Things have changed a bit though mostly for the worst. In France resent rules have been worse than at any time since 1969. The situation is more puzzling when you consider the backdrop. A global financial crisis caused by the recklessness of the private sector. The parties are largely on the left and those rewarded are largely on the right. Why? To answer this question a group of scholars published an excellent book titled why the left looses. Points to some answers. One factor is the nature of economic systems in the post World War 2 era. They found itself of cracked by the financial crisis. They found itself as to how to respond politically. It was by immediately turning on themselves with many claiming they never should have embraced markets in the first place. It is worth noting free traders actually won the election after election after election. It is their left wing successors that keep losing. Another is more perhaps it is because of the rise of mass middle class. It cannot celebrate identity and diversity without triggering a backlash among the older population. The left has always been about a hopeful of the future, one in which everyone prospers. When a large part of the public is fearful and pessimistic for a world gone by offering hope becomes a hard sell. For more go to cnn.com and read my Washington Post column and let’s get started.