Episode 27 – How to Talk to Progressives

Mark Geise Show – Mark Geise

In this episode, I open by discussing Fidel Castro’s death and the reactions to his death by Jill Stein, Justin Trudeau, and Donald Trump. I do not want to celebrate the death of a man, but I do not believe the world is a worse place without him. Next, I discuss a playbook for talking to progressives. I can sum up my approach with four major points:

1. Acknowledge that the progressive holds his or her viewpoints because he or she believes that those policies will do the most good for the most people, but also drive the point home that you believe your policies are the true path to do the most good for the most people. This should help to facilitate a civil discussion positioned around the facts rather than around personal attacks.
2. Emphasize that utopia is not an option. We must analyze tradeoffs. Certain people benefit from certain policies, but we must look beyond those people that immediately benefit to look at the ripple effects of a particular policy. Drive the discussion toward an apples-to-apples comparison between the actual results of the progressive’s intended program versus the results of free markets. It is an invalid to compare a utopian “solution” that does not exist in reality to free markets.
3. We need to demand evidence. We need to make it clear that the burden of proof is on those that want the government to take over an industry to empirically justify that position. The stated goal of a policy is the not the same as its ultimate outcome, so we must analyze policies on results rather than on intentions.
4. Use areas where progressive ideology and libertarian ideology overlap (for example, marijuana legalization) to present the coherent and consistent position of libertarianism.

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Links:
“Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on the death of former Cuban President Fidel Castro” – Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
“Jill Stein Gets Predictable Backlash After Calling Castro a ‘Symbol of the Struggle for Justice’” – Mediaite
“Fidel Castro’s death: Obama, Donald Trump react to Cuba leader’s passing” – CBS News
“Reality is Not Optional: Thomas Sowell’s Vision of Man and Society” – The Social Critic
Book: “A Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles” – Amazon
Book: The Vision of the Anointed: Self-Congratulation as a Basis for Social Policy” – Amazon
“60% Of New Yorkers Are One Paycheck Away From Homelessness” – Zero Hedge
“Survey: How Americans contend with unexpected expenses” – Bankrate