The Economist has always represented the prudent wing of the capitalist class, unlike the imprudent wing that has overwhelmed the Republican Party in America. This piece by one of its regular opinion columnists (who is quite scathing about Trump et al., but knows which class he represents) is revealing:

When they go low, we go high,” is a Democratic mantra. But it only works if people think liberals have the credibility to trumpet high morals. Not enough of America does. To Gen Z voters, such virtue signalling comes straight from the self-serving “boomer” playbook. The young are no likelier to respect Democratic ethics appeals than they are to take up bridge. Coming to grips with America’s volatile politics is futile without engaging with the deep scepticism of its young.

Among the best-known younger Democrats, two — Zohran Mamdani, New York’s mayor, and New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — call themselves socialists. A third, James Talarico, a Democratic Senate nominee, describes himself as a Christian progressive. But he is running in Texas, so is treated as a socialist regardless.

More than a third of Americans under 30 have a favourable view of “communism”, according to a Cato poll last year. Almost two-thirds look kindly on socialism. It is easy to dismiss this as standard youthful misguidedness. Gen Z is variously written off as work-shy, entitled, unambitious and ignorant. But there is nothing in their politics that is nearly as drug-inspired as the late 1960s radicalism of their grandparents. It is not hippie to wish for affordable housing or to fear AI’s impact on your earnings potential. Nor is it Stalinist to want universal health insurance.

I guess Economist readers need to be reminded that the core of Stalinism is not “universal health insurance.” The ruling class in America has waged class warfare since Reagan became President in 1981, it’s time for the vast majority to wage class warfare in the other direction. We owe it to Bernie Sanders who has brought this kind of class politics back to life, and who inspired AOC, Mamdani, Platner et al. Let us hope the prudent wing of the ruling class, the Democratic Party, doesn’t try to crush it, again.