A new perspective on politics and social democracy

The discussion of political affairs in the U.S. has become misconstrued, said NYU history professor Tony Judt during a lecture last night at the Skirball Center.

In his lecture, Judt said economics should not replace public policy.

"We have lost the capacity to think of public affairs except in a very restrictive sense," Judt said. "What we ask of a policy or a proposal is not if it's good or bad; we ask if it's efficient, if it's productive."

Judt, who also serves as the director of NYU's Remarque Institute, began the lecture saying that public opinion polls and surveys overwhelmingly show Americans want better education, universal medical coverage and less crime.

"When you say that these things come with somewhat higher taxes, and an elective role by the state, they say in the same surveys, 'No we don't want socialism, don't want the state interfering in our affairs, no higher taxes,' " Judt said.

Countries such as the Netherlands and Austria can implement similar programs because of trust, he said.

This set the tone for the rest of the lecture. Judt argued the U.S. should revert back to seeing government as a body that provides "collective goods and collective interest" based on needs and wants.

To achieve this, social Democrats need a new language, he said.

Judt's speech received a standing ovation.

"It really gave me a great new perspective on how to look at social democracy," CAS sophomore Eleanor Chodroff said.

But not everyone agreed with Judt.

"Social democracy doesn't get to the root of the problem, and the solutions Judt proposed wouldn't work," said Sam Roy, a representative from Revolution Books, a communist bookstore.