Liberalism and The Left
Progressives abandon liberalism—and one of their own—in a time of crisis
Editor’s note: This article was written in September and October 2020 as a submission for an internship with The Economist. I tried to emulate that publication’s style as closely as possible. The original format PDF can be found here.
THE PROGRESSIVE LEFT in America often seems poised to shape the country’s future. Amidst the backdrop of a stagnant Democratic establishment and a Republican Party wedded to Trumpian nativism, it is unsurprising to see disillusioned young Americans flock to a faction promising decisive action on climate change, inequality, and racism.
The movement has also had a fraught relationship with liberalism of late (see article). For many, this is a welcome development, exposing the doctrine’s limits and spurring creative reinterpretation by its defenders. But as a recent primary election demonstrates, the slope to damagingly illiberal behavior is slippery, and threatens the left’s incipient gains.
This summer, Alex Morse, a young, gay mayor, ran a spirited campaign against Richard Neal, a powerful Democratic congressman who oversees tax policy. The incumbent, who last year received the most corporate donations of any member of congress, was ripe for a challenge, and Mr Morse seemed poised to join the ranks of left-wing stars unseating powerful party insiders.
But three weeks before the election, a letter surfaced accusing Mr Morse of sexual misconduct. There was little substance behind the allegations, the most severe of which involved students feeling uncomfortable over Instagram and Tinder messages from Mr Morse. Though the scandal was soon revealed as a smear by a student hoping to land a job with Mr Neal, the damage was done. Internal polling showed 1 in 5 voters were less likely to support Mr Morse following the controversy, and he suffered a dismal 18-point loss on election day.
More consequential is the strain of illiberalism the saga revealed, the first implication of which is to strategically disadvantage progressives. Republicans uniformly discounted accusations leveled against President Trump and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Democratic support for sexual abuse survivors was revealed as conditional when stronger evidence emerged against their presidential nominee, Joe Biden, than that for which they excoriated Mr Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearings.
By contrast, progressives have erred on the side of believing survivors. This is laudable, as allegations are typically specific, individualized, and verifiable. However, Mr Morse was accused not of sexual assault, but awkwardly trying to flirt on social media. This paucity of substance should have been a red flag, but left-wing groups initially rescinded their endorsements, eagerly employing the language of sexual violence. In a drive for purity, they hamstrung themselves in a way that Republicans and establishment Democrats do not. Such fanaticism likely unnerves the electorate, and will do little to shake perceptions of the hard-left as kooky and destabilizing.
Beyond strategy, the case of Mr Morse reveals a failure of principle. The abandonment of liberalism here is twofold. First, progressives were complicit in weaponizing the dating history of a gay man, placing them more in line with conservatives seeking to control sexual mores than liberals, who see individuals as competent agents deserving freedom from paternalistic coercion. The second deviation from liberalism concerns the presumption of innocence, placing the burden of proof on the accuser. This is vital not just to the rule of law, but more broadly to protecting individuals from ostracism on the basis of false claims.
Mr Morse is not the first such victim. Cenk Uygur and Katie Hill are other prominent Democrats whose political careers were cut short amid revelations that, though salacious, were short on substance. The modern American left has much to be proud of, but to effect meaningful change, it will need to broaden its base of support and be more tactically shrewd. On both counts, it would do well to remember its liberal roots.