Historical Background

Former Washington insiders love to lament the fading of the bipartisan spirit. They ought to be lamenting the fading of the equality they so lamely defended.

Right-wingers are celebrating a deeply depressing new history of those rare moments where distributions of wealth have become significantly more equal.

Growing inequality and the nature of populist movements help explain 2016 and the rise of both Sanders and Trump. Understanding these dynamics can create the potential for serious radical change.

What should Hillary Clinton say – and do – about inequality? Some ideas from a veteran chronicler of our unequal scene. An editor's note: James Lardner, one of the first...