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Ever since the word “socialism” made its way into the US political mainstream two years ago in the guise of a wispy-haired gentleman from Vermont, progressives have been learning to expand their vision of what’s possible, from the swift adoption of “Medicare for All” to the even swifter mainstreaming of “Abolish ICE.” But for those wanting to really swing for the fences, it’s time to consider another issue sitting alongside these on the platform of rising star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
It’s not an issue you’ll see on the nation’s front pages, and it’s one that promises an even deeper departure from today’s political orthodoxy in both parties: She calls it a “peace economy.”
“In times when we’re told that there’s not enough money, Republicans and corporate Democrats seem to find the cash to fund a $1.1 trillion fighter jet program or a $1.7 trillion nuclear weapon ‘modernization’ program,” she says.
She’s right — and while her opponents constantly dismiss calls for universal health care or free college as pie-in-the-sky demands disconnected from economic reality, they are strangely quiet on the most extreme form of wasteful spending embraced by both Democrats and Republicans.
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