I guess I don't share the urgency to correct elites' self-image. I'd be interested to know what the political stakes are in that imperative, because I don't see any.
> I don't see how a "liberal" would write a sentence like this (from his piece
> in the July/August NLR): "Because it is exploitation, not discrimination,
> that is the primary producer of inequality today."
These quotes you reproduce are nice, and correct, but the problem with Benns--and I'm basing what I say on the articles and the interview, not the book--is that they stand apart from his actual argument. They're almost red herrings, statements that attempt to preempt potential criticisms because he can claim that he "discusses" those things, but they are in no way incorporated into his analysis. If anything, they act as counterfactuals.