In this excerpt from The Dennis Prager Show, Prager argues that the ideological divide between the American left and right is unbridgeable because both sides live in a "make‑believe" worldview that ignores the realities of working‑class Americans. He cites a Missouri Republican, Jordan, as an example of a left‑leaning thinker trapped in fantasy, then critiques the GOP for catering to the rich and powerful at the expense of workers, noting that even the wealthiest zip codes tend to vote Democrat. Prager questions whether the Democrats truly help the working class, pointing to policies such as California’s minimum‑wage increase (which he claims has caused job losses) and Democratic opposition to school choice (which he says harms families seeking better schools). He brings in New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof’s response to Jordan, using it to illustrate what Prager sees as a left‑wing narrative that equates empathy with expanding government handouts. Prager contends that larger government erodes personal altruism and volunteerism, arguing that leftist ideology discourages community help because it relies on state provision. The monologue ends with a plug for the full episode of his show on pragertopia.com.
Chapters
When I say that the gulf between left and right in America is not bridgeable, it is fools like this Jordan in Missouri that I'm thinking of. They live in a make-believe world. Trump, what is, what is he saying? Trump lied about taking on corrupt institutions. Well, he didn't take on the deep state as much as he should, but that's, I don't think that that's what Jordan meant. Uplifting the forgotten reaches of the country, but instead he did what the GOP always does: cater to the rich and powerful at the expense of the working class. So why is the working class voting for him? Aren't the richest zip codes in the country overwhelmingly Democrat? They live in a make-believe world, the left. Make-believe. They, they It's like an idea got into their brain 50 years ago or 100 years ago and it has never shifted. They're still voting for Franklin Roosevelt. What the GOP always does, cater to the rich and powerful at the expense of the working class. But the rich and powerful are left-wing, overwhelmingly. So here is Nicholas Kristof, the New York Times columnist, response to Jordan. Jordan, I think you're absolutely right that Trump and more broadly the GOP has been of zero help to those working-class voters. Really? Have the Democrats helped the working-class voters? Working-class voters, just as an example, working-class voters, would they, are they benefiting from California raising the minimum wage? You know how many people have lost their jobs because the minimum wage has been raised? Have the working-class voters who want to send their kids to decent schools been benefited by the Democrats who oppose school choice? Well, one of the reasons the U.S. historically has not had better, more socially conscious policies— what the hell does that mean? That means bigger and and bigger and bigger government. Listen to my broadcast yesterday on the Ultimate Issues Hour about how destructive big governments are. Is a complete lack of empathy among conservatives for those who are struggling. That's right. And that's not a reader of the New York Times, that's a writer in the New York Times who It wants to reach out to conservatives. There is a complete lack of empathy among conservatives for those who are struggling. You know, so this is the way you must understand how the left-wing mind works. If you are not for making the government bigger, then you have a complete lack of empathy for those who are struggling. That is the way it works. Empathy for those struggling means increase government handouts to people. Make the government that much bigger. That's what empathy for those who are struggling means. It is not if you volunteer more, because conservatives volunteer more than leftists. Leftist, this is one of my biggest arguments about how bad the left is. Leftism crushes altruism. Because people say, I don't need to help my neighbor, my community, the government will. As the government gets bigger, charities get smaller. As the government gets bigger, personal altruism gets smaller. The government will take care of you. Why should I? For the full episode of The Dennis Prager Show, go to pragertopia.com, sign up, and become a full member.
