Social The left was right about almost everything in the 2000s

[sakfjgadsyukgf]

Seems underdiscussed. As an Old, I was a liberal in the 2000s. Here's what we were right about:

• We said the war in Iraq & Afghanistan was a mistake. Crazy how almost everyone agrees with this now, including Trump & all the populists on the right. Who's still pro-Iraq war? Dick Cheney? David French?
• We said free trade (we called it 'globalization' then) was a mistake. The left was against NAFTA and China entering the WTO, those were always big Republican positions. Does anyone disagree these days?
• We said gay people should be able to marry each other. This was a super-controversial view in the 2000s. What's the approval rating on gay marriage now? Like 70%?
• We said weed should be legalized. This was always a big leftwing position. Today it's legal in 40 states medicinally- including super-red ones- and straight up legal in 24 states

The 'right' wing today is just the left from 20 years ago. Change my mind

 

[HereticBD]

Yeah, they used to be pretty damn cool. Now they're basically 90's Republicans, whining and crying about everything.

 

[Andy Capp]

Seems underdiscussed. As an Old, I was a liberal in the 2000s. Here's what we were right about:

• We said the war in Iraq & Afghanistan was a mistake. Crazy how almost everyone agrees with this now, including Trump & all the populists on the right. Who's still pro-Iraq war? Dick Cheney? David French?
• We said free trade (we called it 'globalization' then) was a mistake. The left was against NAFTA and China entering the WTO, those were always big Republican positions. Does anyone disagree these days?
• We said gay people should be able to marry each other. This was a super-controversial view in the 2000s. What's the approval rating on gay marriage now? Like 70%?
• We said weed should be legalized. This was always a big leftwing position. Today it's legal in 40 states medicinally- including super-red ones- and straight up legal in 24 states

The 'right' wing today is just the left from 20 years ago. Change my mind

The support of liberals back then was based upon reasoning and empathy. The support of the right wing now is based upon what feels like it will play to the base.

I disagree with there being anything objectionable about broadening trade, however.

 

[sanguinius]

The left supports war when it is politically convenient for them and their overwhelming support for sexual deviancy has been disastrous for the left. Right wingers said gay marriage is a slippery slope and that’s been proven pretty conclusively.

 

[HereticBD]

The support of liberals back then was based upon reasoning and empathy.

To an extent. It was also based upon the other side having a stick up their asses for damn near everything. Funny how the left is thought of that way now, and the right are seen as the cool people.

It's almost like something changed within their respective ideologies, or something...

 

[UFCUCF]

You picked a few interesting issues.

One more. How about it is generally recognized now that in normal economic circumstances you don’t increase revenue by cutting taxes. Trickle down doesn’t trickle. The laugher curve is laugh-able. These were the foundations of the entire Republican ideology.

Weed is a good issue here. I worked for a pro weed candidate in the late 90’s who, predictably, got destroyed that November. At that time, even being pro medical cannabis was considered a RIDICULOUS position to have in mainstream society.

Maybe it’s both a blessing and a curse. Large swaths of public opinion can be moved relatively quickly.

 

[DoctorTaco]

overwhelming support for sexual deviancy has been disastrous for the left.

oh live a little. What’s life without a little bit deviancy in the bedroom

 

[jimmas99]

​

Some more things:

Climate Change
The left emphasized the urgency of addressing climate change, advocating for renewable energy and regulation of emissions.The scientific consensus on human-driven climate change has grown stronger, and global weather extremes increasingly align with early climate models.

Financial Deregulation
Many on the left criticized financial deregulation (like the repeal of Glass-Steagall) and warned of housing market bubbles.
The 2008 financial crisis was triggered by excessive risk-taking and inadequate regulation—just as some progressives predicted.

 

[tenniswhiz]

Seems underdiscussed. As an Old, I was a liberal in the 2000s. Here's what we were right about:

• We said the war in Iraq & Afghanistan was a mistake. Crazy how almost everyone agrees with this now, including Trump & all the populists on the right. Who's still pro-Iraq war? Dick Cheney? David French?
• We said free trade (we called it 'globalization' then) was a mistake. The left was against NAFTA and China entering the WTO, those were always big Republican positions. Does anyone disagree these days?
• We said gay people should be able to marry each other. This was a super-controversial view in the 2000s. What's the approval rating on gay marriage now? Like 70%?
• We said weed should be legalized. This was always a big leftwing position. Today it's legal in 40 states medicinally- including super-red ones- and straight up legal in 24 states

The 'right' wing today is just the left from 20 years ago. Change my mind

George W, Dick, and Condi have never admitted that the Iraq war was a mistake.
For some reason, the media gives them a pass.

 

[Yehudim]

90s social conservatives were right

 

[BJ@LW&WW]

i wanted to give this idea a fair try

use perplexity, a source-focused AI chat bot, to generate tables of left-wing ideologies that gained support between 2004 (year after iraq war started) til now, and to do the same for right wing ideology.

https://www.perplexity.ai/search/what-were-some-left-wing-opini-u7Yoe11eT6.CVK1bBwejQw

of course its still AI, but at least there are links for the sources it claims the data from.



i tried to be as objective with the prompt as i could

"What were some left wing opinions that were controversial in 2004 US that are now widely accepted? Make a table summarizing the opinion, the approval rating of that opinion in 2004, and the approval rating of that opinion now

What were some right wing opinions that were controversial in 2004 US that are now widely accepted? Make a separate table summarizing the opinion, the approval rating of that opinion in 2004, and the approval rating of that opinion now"

You can see the table generated in the link, with 4 major opinions: same sex marriage, cannabis, federal min wage, universal health care

For the right wing opinions, no table was generated and its main response was "After extensive research, most conservative positions from 2004 have either remained stable, become less popular, or were already mainstream conservative positions."

 

[Blunderbuss]

oh live a little. What’s life without a little bit deviancy in the bedroom

Sent you a DM!!!

 

[IanEdwards]

To an extent. It was also based upon the other side having a stick up their asses for damn near everything. Funny how the left is thought of that way now, and the right are seen as the cool people.

yeah, with cultural icons like Joe Rogan, Hulk Hogan, Kid Rock, Riley Gains and Ted Nugent, and famous actor Mel Gibson, its a cultural juggernaut with huge momentum nowadays.

 

[heloder]

the right are seen as the cool people.

 

[Seano]

My father is a life long democrat, has always voted blue but if people on this forum talked to him, they'd ask if he forgot his MAGA hat. The democrat party seems to be sort of dead. The democrat party doesn't stand for anything anymore. It has no real focused role or purpose other than to divide and label each group by form of bigotry.

 

[IanEdwards]

Financial Deregulation
Many on the left criticized financial deregulation (like the repeal of Glass-Steagall) and warned of housing market bubbles.
The 2008 financial crisis was triggered by excessive risk-taking and inadequate regulation—just as some progressives predicted.

this is mere money, though, like people's mortgages and ability to put food on the table and stuff, trivial shit like that

everyone knows that trans swimmer who got 4th place ahead of heavyweight cultural superstar Riley Gaines is the real issue out there

 

[The_Renaissance]

Very true. It's a real shame though that you pivoted from those serious, crucial topics and started obsessing over drag queens and trannies.

 

[cincymma79]

Seems underdiscussed. As an Old, I was a liberal in the 2000s. Here's what we were right about:

• We said the war in Iraq & Afghanistan was a mistake. Crazy how almost everyone agrees with this now, including Trump & all the populists on the right. Who's still pro-Iraq war? Dick Cheney? David French?
• We said free trade (we called it 'globalization' then) was a mistake. The left was against NAFTA and China entering the WTO, those were always big Republican positions. Does anyone disagree these days?
• We said gay people should be able to marry each other. This was a super-controversial view in the 2000s. What's the approval rating on gay marriage now? Like 70%?
• We said weed should be legalized. This was always a big leftwing position. Today it's legal in 40 states medicinally- including super-red ones- and straight up legal in 24 states

The 'right' wing today is just the left from 20 years ago. Change my mind

Who’s the left? Show me all the no votes for Iraq and nafta

 

[Deaths Head]

Seems underdiscussed. As an Old, I was a liberal in the 2000s. Here's what we were right about:

• We said the war in Iraq & Afghanistan was a mistake. Crazy how almost everyone agrees with this now, including Trump & all the populists on the right. Who's still pro-Iraq war? Dick Cheney? David French?
• We said free trade (we called it 'globalization' then) was a mistake. The left was against NAFTA and China entering the WTO, those were always big Republican positions. Does anyone disagree these days?
• We said gay people should be able to marry each other. This was a super-controversial view in the 2000s. What's the approval rating on gay marriage now? Like 70%?
• We said weed should be legalized. This was always a big leftwing position. Today it's legal in 40 states medicinally- including super-red ones- and straight up legal in 24 states

The 'right' wing today is just the left from 20 years ago. Change my mind

Trump was a democrat 20 years ago . He knows that party is the more competent one and uses many of their ideas as his own to stand out as a Republican being the car salesman he is , to bad he just didn’t use actual practical policies the democrats used but he also has to cater to his cult followers and ruin many things and make life purposely difficult just to appease them . Lol

 

[scoopj]

Seems underdiscussed. As an Old, I was a liberal in the 2000s. Here's what we were right about:

• We said the war in Iraq & Afghanistan was a mistake. Crazy how almost everyone agrees with this now, including Trump & all the populists on the right. Who's still pro-Iraq war? Dick Cheney? David French?
• We said free trade (we called it 'globalization' then) was a mistake. The left was against NAFTA and China entering the WTO, those were always big Republican positions. Does anyone disagree these days?
• We said gay people should be able to marry each other. This was a super-controversial view in the 2000s. What's the approval rating on gay marriage now? Like 70%?
• We said weed should be legalized. This was always a big leftwing position. Today it's legal in 40 states medicinally- including super-red ones- and straight up legal in 24 states

The 'right' wing today is just the left from 20 years ago. Change my mind

Liberals were not against Iraq or Afghanistan. You’re making that up. The Iraq vote was fairly evenly split on the left, and I don’t recall anyone against us becoming involved in an Afghanistan for years. Code Pink and the Dixie Chicks were about the only ones vocally against either war as I recall.