The Abundance Movement in American Politics

📜 1. Core Philosophy and Goals

• Scarcity as Artificial: Argues shortages stem from overregulation, not resource limitations.
• "Building Liberalism": Shifts focus from redistribution to proactive government investment in infrastructure.
• Cross-Partisan Appeal: Combines progressive goals with market-friendly deregulation.

🗺️ 2. Origins and Catalysts

• California's Failures: Inspired by bureaucratic dysfunction in deep-blue states.
• YIMBY Influence: Grew from housing deregulation movements like Abundant SF.
• Intellectual Roots: Draws from thinkers like Tyler Cowen ("state capacity libertarianism").

⚖️ 3. Key Players and Factions

Proponents:

• Politicians: Gov. Gavin Newsom, Rep. Ro Khanna, Sen. Scott Wiener
• Think Tanks & Orgs: Niskanen Center, Breakthrough Institute
• Business Allies: Tech billionaires and industry groups

Critics:

• Unions: Public-sector unions opposing labor standard reforms
• Progressives: Figures like Bernie Sanders criticizing corporate influence

🧩 4. Political Dynamics and Conflicts

• Intra-Democratic Tension: "Supply-side progressives" vs traditional leftists
• Anti-Union Sentiment: Some factions view unions as barriers to abundance
• Third-Party Aspirations: Potential to outgrow Democratic Party

⚠️ 5. Criticisms and Challenges

• Equity Blind Spots: Potential to worsen inequality
• Labor-Environment Trade-offs: Clashes between green infrastructure and union jobs
• Implementation Hurdles: State/local resistance and Democratic reliance on unions

🔮 6. Future Outlook

Positioned as defining force for 2028 election. Faces test of reconciling efficiency with equity, with upcoming battles over infrastructure bills determining viability.

Further reading: Klein & Thompson's Abundance or Inclusive Abundance primer