The optimistic leftist Why the 21st century will be better than you think

Progressive thinker Teixeira sees the American future as an inexorable march, propelled by demographics and, in particular, economics, toward a Leftist utopia. His vision presents the Opportunity State, an evolved Keynesian welfare state that rekindles government investment in infrastructure and education while driving equitable economic growth. In reviewing American politics since Reconstruction, Teixeira argues that a successful middle class is the best forecaster of progressive political gains. He also urges readers to adopt an uplifting outlook by emphasizing gains by the political Left (illustrated by a six-page, greatest-hits assessment of the Obama administration and glimpses of the European Left) because pessimism does not win political supporters. In this vision, the progressive twenty-first century will be defined by a techno-optimistic (an antonym of Ludditistic) global capitalism that lifts all boats (while proactively fighting rising sea levels) and ensures all peoples are welcome aboard. For readers interested in American politics and history as well as those looking for a digestible discussion of economics.--Smith, Paul Copyright 2017 Booklist

A political analyst offers American liberals a host of reasons to be cheerful.Even when Democrats were assuming that Hillary Clinton would succeed Barack Obama as president, liberals were generally a pessimistic lot in light of the income-inequality chasm and the influence of big money on politics. Center for American Progress senior fellow Teixeira (co-author: The Emerging Democratic Majority, 2002) provides an often counterintuitive argument that embraces capitalistic growth, technological advancement, globalization, environmental activism, and a more optimistic attitude in general toward the course of history. With the notable exception of the Great Depression that led to the New Deal, the author maintains, "by and large, the left has achieved much more success when times were good than when times were bad." Everywhere Teixeira looks, he sees good times ahead: greater prosperity, better health, longer life spans, better education, and major gains for the left in terms of social and environmental issues. Furthermore, he sees the left's constituencyminorities, millennials, women, the well-educatedincreasing, while the working-class voting bloc of the populist right is diminishing. He also sees the welfare state giving way to the "opportunity state," and "the rise of the opportunity state will not only mean more growth but less inequality." Rather than retreat toward austerity, the left must celebrate the growth of capitalism and advances in technology, which should help shrink the wealth gap. "There will be a commitment to abundance," he advises. "This means the left will discard its flirtation with antigrowth ideologies and fully embrace the idea that material abundance is a very good thing and should be extended to all." In other words, happy days are here again, if only the left will accept its good fortune and recognize that optimism is a better rallying spirit than pessimism. A useful political book that makes it hard to understand how Donald Trump could have possibly won the election. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.