General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: What is the "hard left"? [View all]LWolf
(46,179 posts)"the hard left" really exists in the U.S. That would be the most extreme versions, and the U.S. is too far right to have a functional "hard left." What passes for "far-left" in the U.S. is pretty moderate, politically speaking. As with so many other things, Americans seem to assume that their "uniquely American" version of "left" is the ultimate definition; who needs to include the rest of the world? There is abundant evidence for that assumption in the responses to this thread.
There are nations that have been, are, "hard-left" economically: Cuba and Venezuela come to mind. They also, though, are authoritarian, which supports the idea I've heard some express that the far extremes eventually curve around to meet each other. I've also heard it said that "the left" is about change and "the right" is about tradition; one is populist, one establishment. That seems to be playing out here at home and other places in the world right now.
In reality, I don't believe that people, or nations, or politics, are that linear. The left/right continuum is always going to break down because it just doesn't fit human reality. One of my favorite "placements" is the political compass, which does not use U.S.-centric definitions or placements. Politicians are placed according to what they do, not say, and those placements change when they change direction. Here is one placement, which backs up my assertion that there is no real "hard left" in the U.S.:
The text that goes with that image is of interest:
https://www.politicalcompass.org/uselection2016