What the Heck Is a Democratic Socialist? with David French

Untangling America’s Socialist Fever and Fear

Host Curtis Chang and Good Faith “founding friend” David French ask whether democratic socialism is your grandparents’ socialism, the left’s answer to MAGA, or something more sinister. They unpack what Christians should make of its growing influence by exploring the DSA, economic inequality, America’s national debt, the influence of Big Tech, and why Christians who feel politically homeless still have an obligation to stay engaged.

00:44 – Introduction to Democratic Socialism

02:19 – Can We Define a Democratic Socialist?

04:04 – Should Socialism Scar Us?

08:39 – Is the DSA the Left’s MAGA?

17:38 – The Electoral Risk of Extremism

21:21 – Is There a Theological Take on Socialism?

25:19 – Has Debt Seized the Means of Production?

28:45 – Policy Must Be Effective, Not Just Well-Intentioned

33:13 – The Role of Economics in Moral Reasoning

34:19 – The Homeless Political Middle

36:43 – The Legitimate Grievances Fueling Extremism 

42:08 – Socialism and the Threat of Big Tech

43:52 – The Presumption of Socialism and Economic Freedom

47:13 – Encouragement for the Politically Homeless

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Mentioned in This Episode:

• Ten Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) Arguments for Socialism and Why They’re Wrong (CATO Institute)
• Hasan Piker: What You Need to Know (Anti-Defamation League)
• Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum (the basis for solidarity and subsidiarity)
• Congressional Budget Office: the federal debt / long-term budget outlook
• What is the Federal Debt right now? (Peter G. Peterson Foundation)
• Noah Smith: No one knows how much the government can borrow
• David French’s How Can America Be So Miserable When It’s So Rich?
• Starlink in the Russian-Ukrainian war
• More about labor leader Eugene Debs
• More about 20th Century economist Friedrich August Hayek

Scriptures:

• Proverbs 22:7 (ESV)
• 1 Kings 19:18 (ESV)
• Romans 11:4 (ESV)

More From David French:

• David French’s New York Times pieces HERE
• Follow David French on Threads

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The Good Faith Podcast is a production of a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan organization that does not engage in any political campaign activity to support or oppose any candidate for public office. Any views and opinions expressed by any guests on this program are solely those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Good Faith.