The Pragmatism of the Radical Climate Left
The Georgia runoff shows that climate activists are more practical and strategic than Democrats give them credit for.
Jessica McGowan/Getty Images
Georgia Democratic Senate candidates Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff bump elbows during a rally.
Even before the 2020 election cycle, centrist Democrats had a habit of portraying leftists and progressives as unflinching ideologues imposing purity tests on their fellow party members. Counter-examples, of course, have abounded. And now there’s a particularly good one in the Georgia runoff election ending January 5.
Politicians and organizations that backed Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary are now pouring time and resources into electing candidates who have little interest in their platform. Jon Osoff, the Democratic challenger running against Republican incumbent Senator David Perdue, has repeatedly stated his opposition to the Green New Deal. Despite that, thousands of young Sunrise