Helena Rosenblatt

They kind of can agree on things that are good for everyone.

Yeah, absolutely.

Liberalism is best when it criticizes power.

That's how it limits authority and allows human flourishing, for sure.

And now there is at least this sense, and I think it's probably true that liberals largely have, I don't know if they control media and universities, but have a

huge influence and power and that is somehow self-perpetuating, which translates into political power as well.

I think the worst part of that is a kind of condescension or kind of disconnect between these liberal elites that we recognize are there.

but their disconnect between the common man, sort of regular people.

And I think that is a betrayal of liberal principles, really, because this is not, we talked in the beginning about elites and leaders, and this is not what liberal elites are supposed to be doing.

So I think that, and I'm an educator, I suppose part of this liberal elite.

Yeah, so mea culpa.

I mean, I think we can do a better job here and returning to these principles.

That's absolutely true.

It is very difficult, and we're living in a very difficult moment, a true crisis, and we're so polarized.

But I think giving up on liberals, I know that's not what you're saying, but those post-liberals that we mentioned a while back ago, I mean, I think it's dangerous to start talking about moving beyond liberalism or giving up on liberalism.

Liberalism has gone through these crises before.

And I think it can survive and come out of this even stronger and better if we renew some of these ideas.

But as you in particular have said, you know, we have some, liberals have to deliver, you know, with the affordability crisis that you've written about with COVID.

health care, with the environmental degradation, with concrete problems that liberals aren't solving.

So I think we have to find ways to do that.