How American Progressives Became French Jacobins – Tablet Magazine
In the U.S., the long abuse of states rights by Southern segregationists no doubt contributes to the centralizing though undeclared national statism of most liberals and leftists. But in many countries with nothing like America s former solid South there are traditions of centralism on the left, motivated simply by the idea that local governments and intermediate institutions must not be allowed to thwart the popular will and its agent, the national bare majority. At this point I think the specter of the return of segregation is just an excuse that hides what most progressives really want: a unitary, consolidated, centralized nation-state in which the states have been reduced to provinces of the capital and the cities to prefectures. One of the ironies of our time is that liberals and leftists, who denounce the very idea of American nationalism as a code word for fascism or white supremacy, are, in fact, extreme American nationalists. The more power the federal government has to do good, the better, even if that means less autonomous power for states and local governments.
Michael Lind. ML is a pretty smart guy, though I disagree with him on most things. I recently read an entire book he wrote and even took some notes, rare for me.