A Dream in Distress

For most Americans, prosperity is more fiction than fact.

Residents queue up for relief supplies in Louisville, Ky., following the 1937 Ohio River flood. By mid-century, New Deal policies, strong labor unions and the civil rights movement would help shrink economic disparities in America. But, according to our guest this time, those successes largely have been undone. Political leaders today, he says, are too focused on social issues.

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S7 E2. A Dream in Distress

On the picket line: On May 5, members of the Writers Guild of America plead their case outside the Netflix building in Los Angeles.

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In the 1930s, truckers in Minneapolis went on strike to protest their precarious working conditions. When things got violent, FDR stepped in — and the truckers won. New York Times writer David Leonhardt says it’s a story that demonstrates the importance of organized labor to the vitality of the American dream. Today, that dream of a “better, richer, happier life” is in doubt, as inequality grows and progress wanes. Live from the Texas Tribune Festival, Leonhardt makes a case for how to turn the tide.

One answer he offers: supporting the recent resurgence America’s labor movements. Leonhardt also tells Emily and Siva that progressives should be willing to put even near-and-dear social issues on the negotiating table if they want to bargain for fairer economic policies — and win elections.

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