Comment by crazygringo
5 months ago
I don't know what you're confused about.
Any political scientist will tell you that the American political spectrum is well to the right of the European one, no matter what personal conversations you have in bars.
And you're advocating for less social spending -- that's essentially the definition of right-wing on the economic dimension.
And there's no need for any "time will tell". Conservatives have been complaining about social spending for a solid three-quarters of a century by now. If three generations isn't enough to show that social democracy is a system that works in terms of delivering services, how much more do you need?
I’m not against public spending. US presidents from both parties have increased public spending when necessary.
Your perspective on the US political spectrum is where I suggest you reconsider. Most Europeans are ethnonationalists, regardless of their political leanings.
Consider the rise of the far right following immigration. While the outcome remains uncertain, I fear it won’t be pretty. It certainly won’t be something to boast about. Europe is on the brink of experiencing its most extreme, fascist, racist, and rightward shift in a long time.
This raises the question of why you’re so certain that Europe is “left-leaning.”