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The Optimistic Leftist: Why the 21st Century Will Be Better Than You Think
"Advances an analysis that should encourage progressives, be cautionary for conservatives, and engage and enlighten everyone who cares about America's political and economic future." —James Fallows, national correspondent, The Atlantic"A tonic—not because it will make you feel better, although it might, but because he makes a powerful, provocative and persuasive case that progressives are in a better position than they realize to make our world better." —E. J. Dionne Jr., author of Why the Right Went WrongThe words “optimism” and “the left” do not seem to go together very well these days. The dominant view on the left--reinforced by the election of Donald Trump--is as (1) progress in today’s world has largely stopped and in many ways reversed; (2) the left is weak and at the mercy of a rapacious capitalism and a marauding right; and (3) the outlook for the future is bleak, with ordinary citizens suffering even more deprivation and the planet itself sliding inexorably toward catastrophe.But all these propositions are wrong. It is not the case that progress has stopped. Today, we live in a freer, more democratic, less violent and more prosperous world than we ever have before.It is not the case that the left is at the mercy of the right. The form of the left is changing but its numbers are strong and growing. It remains a vital force—the vital force--for reforming capitalism.And it is not the case that the future of humanity is bleak. The problems we face today are solvable and, moreover, are likely to be solved in the coming decades. Life for ordinary citizens should improve dramatically over the course of the 21st century.It is not just that these pessimistic propositions are wrong. They also do real harm to the left by undermining its appeal. Pessimism makes people less likely to believe in positive change, not more likely. It is time for the left to realize that their romance with pessimism is a bug not a feature of their current practice. There is no substitute for optimism and an economic climate that promotes optimism. The time has come, as Ruy Teixeira argues in this book, for the optimistic leftist.
273 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 21, 2025
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371 people want to read
About the author
Ruy Teixeira
18 books32 followersRuy Teixeira is a Senior Fellow at both The Century Foundation and American Progress. He is also co-director of the States of Change: Demographics and Democracy project, a collaboration that brings together the Center for American Progress, the Bipartisan Policy Center, and demographer William Frey of the Brookings Institution.
His most recent book is The Optimistic Leftist: Why the 21st Century Will Be Better Than You Think. His other books include The Emerging Democratic Majority; America’s Forgotten Majority: Why the White Working Class Still Matters; The Disappearing American Voter; and Red, Blue and Purple America: The Future of Election Demographics.
Teixeira’s book The Emerging Democratic Majority, written with John Judis in 2002, was the most widely discussed political book of that year and generated praise across the political spectrum, from George Will on the right to E.J. Dionne on the left. It was selected as one of the best books of the year by The Economist.
His most recent book is The Optimistic Leftist: Why the 21st Century Will Be Better Than You Think. His other books include The Emerging Democratic Majority; America’s Forgotten Majority: Why the White Working Class Still Matters; The Disappearing American Voter; and Red, Blue and Purple America: The Future of Election Demographics.
Teixeira’s book The Emerging Democratic Majority, written with John Judis in 2002, was the most widely discussed political book of that year and generated praise across the political spectrum, from George Will on the right to E.J. Dionne on the left. It was selected as one of the best books of the year by The Economist.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 24, 2017
I imagine few people will agree with everything Ruy Teixeira writes in The Optimistic Leftist, but his book is an important corrective to an attitude on the left that could charitably be described as "horrified" on its best days. Teixeira's argument rests primarily on demographics: the collapse of the increasingly conservative white working class and the rise of the increasingly diverse and progressive college-educated professionals. From these numerical trends follows everything else: an increasingly liberal electorate leads to progressive political gains lead to the final defeat of austerity economics leads to increasing growth leads to greater openness toward progressive economic and social programs.
Teixeira might call himself a leftist, but he sits squarely within the much-derided "neoliberal elite" – he extols the virtues of free trade and immigration and dismisses the idea that socialism can do better than a better-regulated capitalism. As a result, he is unlikely to appease true leftists, and certainly unlikely to appeal to those on the right. I liked a lot of what he argued, but I didn't come away convinced that his optimism was fully warranted; as a demographer, he puts a lot of eggs in the demography basket, and I think he might be right, but it still comes off as too good to be true. I wish he'd addressed the real steps right-wing politicians are taking to insulate themselves from the effects of a rapidly diversifying population (voter-suppression laws, gerrymandering, unprecedented obstruction to maintain a Supreme Court majority, etc.) as well as the possibility that large segments of this ascendant coalition could simply decide not to vote in the numbers necessary to elect progressive leaders.
Finally, I struggled with his writing style. The book is filled with passive voice and dead construction ("it is," "there are") that gum up his arguments and make them unnecessarily wordy. He's also in love with using "very" as a descriptor, which is unfortunate since it means very little. (Yes, I did that on purpose.)
But, those gripes aside, I recommend this book to progressives in need of a boost during a dark time for our country. Teixeira is something of a voice in the wilderness, and his overriding argument – that voters vote for optimism, not pessimism, and liberals have a lot to be optimistic about – is well argued and well worth considering for any left-leaning politician looking to effect change in 2018 and beyond.
P.S. I really liked Teixeira's call for reshaping the so-called "welfare state" into what he calls an "opportunity state." He also calls for a "pragmatic utopianism." As a self-described pragmatic idealist, I wholeheartedly agree!
Teixeira might call himself a leftist, but he sits squarely within the much-derided "neoliberal elite" – he extols the virtues of free trade and immigration and dismisses the idea that socialism can do better than a better-regulated capitalism. As a result, he is unlikely to appease true leftists, and certainly unlikely to appeal to those on the right. I liked a lot of what he argued, but I didn't come away convinced that his optimism was fully warranted; as a demographer, he puts a lot of eggs in the demography basket, and I think he might be right, but it still comes off as too good to be true. I wish he'd addressed the real steps right-wing politicians are taking to insulate themselves from the effects of a rapidly diversifying population (voter-suppression laws, gerrymandering, unprecedented obstruction to maintain a Supreme Court majority, etc.) as well as the possibility that large segments of this ascendant coalition could simply decide not to vote in the numbers necessary to elect progressive leaders.
Finally, I struggled with his writing style. The book is filled with passive voice and dead construction ("it is," "there are") that gum up his arguments and make them unnecessarily wordy. He's also in love with using "very" as a descriptor, which is unfortunate since it means very little. (Yes, I did that on purpose.)
But, those gripes aside, I recommend this book to progressives in need of a boost during a dark time for our country. Teixeira is something of a voice in the wilderness, and his overriding argument – that voters vote for optimism, not pessimism, and liberals have a lot to be optimistic about – is well argued and well worth considering for any left-leaning politician looking to effect change in 2018 and beyond.
P.S. I really liked Teixeira's call for reshaping the so-called "welfare state" into what he calls an "opportunity state." He also calls for a "pragmatic utopianism." As a self-described pragmatic idealist, I wholeheartedly agree!
July 1, 2017
Garbage in, garbage out. A guy who clearly has seen his ideas lose favor trying to convince progressives to double down on third way nonsense. Hard to read -- not in the technical sense, but in the face palm sense -- but a good look inside the mind of someone who really believes this crap.
December 3, 2023
I think I waited too long to read this book - if I had read it closer to when it was originally published a few years back, I might I have found more that I appreciated from this book. While I generally agree with the author that political parties need to focus on the benefits they can deliver rather than the woes that policy can cause, this book is almost entirely about the need for economic growth. It's a good perspective to consider and there are a lot of good points in this book, but I didn't feel like I gained much insight about current politics from this book.
September 22, 2018
I don’t think I’m an optimistic leftist.
Although I do see the electorate changing, and this eventually leading to more progressive decisions, I don’t see conservatives eventually being willing to change their policies and admit that more government spending and less austerity is the right way to go.
Although I do see the electorate changing, and this eventually leading to more progressive decisions, I don’t see conservatives eventually being willing to change their policies and admit that more government spending and less austerity is the right way to go.
August 15, 2025
It’s a good lift if you find the political climate disturbing. It reminds you of all the good people have done in the service of others but it’s hard to imagine such shining optimism in light of a post- trump world. Gerrymandering, a stacked Supreme Court, influence peddling, and strong-arm politics appear to have stacked the deck in a frightening way, Interesting though.
May 13, 2017
Teixeira offers an optimistic view of the Left's future for America, supported by ample history lessons and cold, hard, facts. At first glance, this appears to be a book that revolves around stroking the ego of the Left, but in reality it is a scathing review of where the Left is currently going wrong, not so much in policy, but in how they present their own accomplishments and view the future (or, the fact they are lacking a concrete view of the future altogether). It is also the hard Anti-Libertarian manifesto that I have been craving, in fact, it feels he is hardest on the Libertarians than on the Conservative Right a lot of the time. The only reason I docked the book a star was I felt that the introductory chapters (the history of it all) were far too long, while the part that we are even reading the book for (so now what?) was a little short and repetitive. But, the points made are valid, well-supported, and something that I will retain and consider as we move forward and deeper into the Trump administration (and beyond).
July 9, 2017
On the surface this is the kind of message liberals need to hear. More pragmatic optimism. More solutions. More embrace of technology, education, redistributive, opportunity based tax laws. You don't need to agree with everything to realize that to win elections and make any progress you need to offer a message of hope and opportunity for everyone. Where I'd be critical is his pro-growth message. He touches on sustainability, but IMHO to win the future, progressives needs to make this part of their core message. Offer a new vision of the economy of opportunity around socially responsible government and businesses that do good for their employees, communities, environments, etc, where we all benefit. (See Kate Raworth's book Doughnut Economics)
January 6, 2018
Given the Trump agenda to abandon all things Obama and to strike down regulations that have attempted to control the financial industries, I am not as optimistic as the author. The stock and jobs market successes mask the continued economic assault on the "common man". The book does a good job in looking at history and the wish that the Trump anomaly will go away. I no longer share the author's optimism
March 18, 2019
Progressive movements stared in the US since the 1800s.
It is a paradigm and it proves that societies will ultimately evolve forward despite disruptive attempts. America experienced height in growth when progressives where ruling. All indicators suggestion that progressives will gain control back in the 21st century and that political centrism and conservatism are destined towards a gradual decline.
It is a paradigm and it proves that societies will ultimately evolve forward despite disruptive attempts. America experienced height in growth when progressives where ruling. All indicators suggestion that progressives will gain control back in the 21st century and that political centrism and conservatism are destined towards a gradual decline.
October 2, 2017
A good argument and basis for hope
A refreshing read for those who fear that the forces of selfishness and the worst aspects of our human nature have gained control of government. It's a bit of a slog, but way more digestible a chapter or two at a time. A good primer for the resistance.
A refreshing read for those who fear that the forces of selfishness and the worst aspects of our human nature have gained control of government. It's a bit of a slog, but way more digestible a chapter or two at a time. A good primer for the resistance.
March 29, 2018
Enjoyed this book, and what he points out about the inevitability of demographic change in the US, and the influence that will as a result accrue to immigrants, women, and non-whites, is encouraging and much needed right now. Good to have this information along with a reminder however not to become complacent.
did-not-finish
November 16, 2020DNF @43%
PAINFULLY dry. I'm shocked at how dry this book is. I'm super interested in the topic and have read my fair share of economics, sociology, etc articles and texts due to my time in college and university, so it's not like I'm unfamiliar with academic, "cold" writing styles, but this was just like eating a spoonful of bone-dry granola. Can't do it.
PAINFULLY dry. I'm shocked at how dry this book is. I'm super interested in the topic and have read my fair share of economics, sociology, etc articles and texts due to my time in college and university, so it's not like I'm unfamiliar with academic, "cold" writing styles, but this was just like eating a spoonful of bone-dry granola. Can't do it.
January 4, 2025
I liked this book, I think a lot of the points are good, however I think the 7 years since its release have probably put a serious dent in the timeline laid out by the book. If in the remaining 75 years he is vindicated, I will happily eat my words, but we will see
July 29, 2017
This book, especially the last chapter, offer a refreshing burst of positive perspective that will be helpful in coping with (and putting hope in) the next hundred years.
August 24, 2020
A fantastic book about why things are not as bad as we may think. This was the perfect read for anyone who's feeling disgruntled or frustrated with politics today.
April 24, 2023
Left-leaning people in the US and UK should be optimistic, but it's not 1998 anymore and Teixeira can't comprehend that. Third Way policies are not the future.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews