Left-Wing Democrats in US contemporary political system

Abstract

The current state of the progressive movement in the political life of the United States is analyzed. It is noted that the movement took shape politically in the early 1990s with the formation of a small faction of progressives in the House of Representatives of the US Congress. From the very beginning, the faction promoted left-wing socialist ideas, believing that the processes of globalization would only increase social differentiation in American society in terms of income distribution and accumulated wealth. The financial and economic crisis of 2007-2009 contributed to the transformation of the progressive movement into an important political force in modern America. The ideological and political polarization of American society in the 2010s contributed to the growth of not only right-wing, but also left-wing populism. As a result, in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections Progressives played an important political role, contributing to the victory in 2020 of the Democratic candidate J. Biden. In the 116th and 117th Congresses the Progressive faction amounted to almost 100 representatives, or about 40% of the total number of Democrats in the House of Representatives. The conquest of the White House and the establishment of control of the Democratic Party over both houses of the US Congress allowed the Progressive Democrats Caucus for the first time to develop its own program of social and economic transformation in American society in the amount of about $2.5 trln to be spent within 10 years. The program is based on the principles of large-scale redistribution of financial resources from large corporations and the wealthiest segments of American society in favor of the poor and the American middle class. In addition to socio-economic reforms, the program includes the allocation of hundreds of billions of dollars to combat climate change and the gradual transition of the American economy to the "green technologies". The bill passed the US House of Representatives in November 2021, but its further fate is uncertain, since in the Senate its main opponent in the ranks of the Democratic Party was West Virginia Senator J. Manchin. It is entirely possible that in 2022 the Democrats will still be able to get parts of the Build Back Better legislation passed through Congress. In conclusion, the life path and political career of a native of India, P. Jayapal, who has been the chairman of the Progressive Democrats Caucus in the US Congress for the past three years, are covered. It is noted that, unlike past historical epochs when the main “social elevator” for immigrants of the first wave was the business sector, at present, the struggle for the rights of racial, ethnic and gender minorities plays such role.