Against the Grain

Inequality and the New Democrats

The United States is a strikingly unequal country. The Republican Party is rightly credited with aiding the wealthy, but historian Lily Geismer argues that’s just half of the story. She examines the key role played by the Clinton-era Democratic Party in widening inequality through microenterprise schemes and development zones, free trade policies, and charter schools, while gutting public housing and welfare.

Resources:

Lily Geismer, Left Behind: The Democrats’ Failed Attempt to Solve Inequality Public Affairs, 2022