how did we get so politically divided well it's not because both sides have gotten more extreme look i got my start at american politics 50 years ago my political views then to grossly simplify them were that i was against the vietnam war and the military-industrial complex strongly supportive of civil and voting rights and against the power of big corporations that put me here just left of the center back then the political spectrum from left to right was short the biggest political issue was the vietnam war the left was demonstrating against it sometimes violently since i
was committed to ending the war through peaceful political means i volunteered for george mcgovern the anti-war presidential candidate even richard nixon on the right was starting to look for ways out of vietnam 25 years later i was in bill clinton's cabinet and the left-to-right political spectrum stretched much longer the biggest change was how much further right the right had moved ronald reagan had opened the political floodgates to corporate and wall street money bankrolling right-wing candidates and messages that decried big governments bill clinton sought to lead from the center but by then the center moved so
far right that clinton gutted public assistance enacted tough on crime policies that unjustly burdened the poor and people of color and deregulated wall street all of which put me further to the left of the center although my political views have barely changed today the spectrum from left to right is the longest it's been in my 50 years in and around politics the left hasn't moved much at all we're still against the war machines still pushing for civil and voting rights still fighting the power of big corporations but the rights has moved far far rightward donald
trump brought america about as close as we have ever come to fascism he incited an attempted coup against the united states he and most of the republican party continue to deny that he lost the 2020 election and they're getting ready to suppress votes and disregard election outcomes they disagree with so don't believe the fear-mongering that today's left is radical what's really radical is the rights move toward fascism [Music] you
