“A Profound Question: Is America Ready For A Radical Shift In Its Political Stance?”
The premise of your question is somewhat convoluted. Most of America is rather progressive if not left-wing.
Let’s run down a list of polling by sociologist Peter Dreier conducted in 2017:
-82% of Americans believe the wealthy have too much power and influence in Washington
-69% think large businesses have too much power and influence in Washington
-78% of likely voters support stronger rules and enforcement on the financial industry
-76% believe the wealthiest Americans should pay higher taxes
-74% of registered voters — including 71% of Republicans — support requiring employers to offer paid parental and medical leave
-60% of registered voters favor “expanding Medicare to provide health insurance to every American”
-63% of registered voters — including 47% of Republicans — favor making four-year public colleges and universities tuition-free
Here’s a Gallup poll from March showing 57 percent of Americans favor government action to protect the environment even if it limits economic growth.
A clear majority favors “higher emissions and pollution standards for business and industry” and “more strongly enforcing federal environmental regulations.”
Younger people are not being “parochial” when they act on their values and principles and vote for politicians who will support policies and proposals in line with the above views.
I am confident if Bernie Sanders were elected to the White House he would have a terrible time with Republicans as well as moderate Democrats who would undermine the so-called political revolution he wants to make possible. He has said this much in his stump speeches. Which is why Sanders is mobilizing a grassroots army of supporters who can continue to help him shift political opinion and move the consensus.
To your subsidiary questions:
As I suggested, Biden’s belief that Republicans will have an “epiphany” is more a statement of intention, not fantasy. Biden wants to work with Republicans. That collaboration will undermine progress. But I noted multiple examples where Democrats collaborated with Republicans to bolster the interests of big business.
“Mr. Biden’s strategy ensures that the compromises he hammers out will have staying power. Do we really want to descend into a seesaw political environment?”
Let’s focus on the issue of climate change.
I am not sure how old you are, but only because I believe you lack a grasp of the fierce urgency of now will I say you’re probably in your 50s and will not have to bother in your lifetime with the worst impacts of climate change. These are impacts that many in your generation and the generation before you severely contributed to by supporting Democratic and Republican politicians that were all too willing to cede power to the fossil fuel industry to further the destruction of our planet so they could make exorbitant profits.
This younger generation that demands much more from the political class may create a “seesaw political environment,” but we understand that it may be 10–15 years before we reach a tipping point and descend further into a state where the planet is utterly unlivable.
Your pragmatism is wholly inadequate. The pragmatic progressivism of Biden that works within the confines of what corporations will allow is not good enough. The survival of humanity and many other species is at stake. So it does not matter if Republicans will obstruct a radical agenda. We have to press them on these issues now or else.
