Oren rightly speaks of the left's identity gambit "undermining our national solidarity and enshitifying our politics". I agree. But at worst, they provide a playground for elites to argue with other elites about language policing. Meanwhile, I'm struggling for terminology for what to call Don's version of identity politics. How do we categorize his authoritarian terms like "vermin", "poisoning the blood", "military tribunal", and "enemy from within"? Or, his everyday utterings such as "blood coming out from her whatever", "horseface", "you're a shit vice-president", and "shithole countries", etc etc etc? Merely enshitifying? Mean tweets? I choose to believe JD's first view of Don, the one before he self-gelded. I choose to believe the on record statements of his highest ranking staff-his VP, chairman of the joint chiefs, chiefs of staff, national security advisors, secretaries of state and defense. If you haven't done so, look them up. Read them closely. If your life depended on it, would you believe John Kelly, or Don? JD was right the first time. Country over party.
There used to be a real power to incumbency but at least at the top this has not been the case for a long time , at least 30-40 years (Reagan). This is true in almost every western nation. One possible explantion is the power that is driving the dissatisfaction is beyond the ability of politics to solve it - especially politics without compromise as both parties move from the middle. Let’s hope we don’t go back to trickle down economics because a trickle is not going to cut it.
This is a quaint discussion. Yes the lefts identity politics have been corrosive and unsuccessful. But can’t we also admit that Dons “inclusive politics” is even worse? Why else did JD muse if he was “Americas Hitler”, and “cultural heroin”? The warnings of Kelly and the legions of Dons other highest level staff are what is now on the line. Let’s hope they are wrong.
I wrote this to a friend prior to reading your take. Not quite the same but close enough for government work: file under great minds think alike.
FDR built the modern D Party on a coalition of disparate interests and it withstood the test of time. I think Obama thought he could do the same. Retain the old coalition while bring in the chose your gender people, the antisemites, the climate change fanatics, the DEI all white people are racists and so on. Problem is they despised the old coalition. Racist, sexist ,etc. Oil meets Water. You can only do all R’s are fascists and Orangeman bad for so long. The Bush R’s couldn’t see it and were unable to take advantage of it. I think RR did but after that it was same old, same old. Ie Bush I and Bush II.
There are some voices of sanity out there but I can’t see AOC or Bernie or any others willing to grasp the nettle. Also see the poem The Second Coming. The center cannot hold etc.
Since the election, I have been buried in leftist media to see their take. It is an axiom that you only learn from defeat, not victory. So what did they learn. So far not much. I see a lot of doubling down. Perhaps more later when they have time to reflect. I have spent a lot of time at The Liberal Patriot which is more Bill Clinton style liberal rather than leftist. Trying to convince Ruy that he is in the wrong party. No chance of success but it is fun. Problem is that he was right all along about the Democrats.
As for MAGA, I am going to let them celebrate for a few days before I start hassling them. I see Victory Disease. They have several issues. First, is there an actual realignment or is Trump a unicorn. He is term-limited and mortal so the succession problem has to be dealt with. Second, what do you do with the about 70M people on the other side. I don't see them to be amenable to persuasion, no matter how good things are. And then there is the overhanging economic disaster in the making.
Oren rightly speaks of the left's identity gambit "undermining our national solidarity and enshitifying our politics". I agree. But at worst, they provide a playground for elites to argue with other elites about language policing. Meanwhile, I'm struggling for terminology for what to call Don's version of identity politics. How do we categorize his authoritarian terms like "vermin", "poisoning the blood", "military tribunal", and "enemy from within"? Or, his everyday utterings such as "blood coming out from her whatever", "horseface", "you're a shit vice-president", and "shithole countries", etc etc etc? Merely enshitifying? Mean tweets? I choose to believe JD's first view of Don, the one before he self-gelded. I choose to believe the on record statements of his highest ranking staff-his VP, chairman of the joint chiefs, chiefs of staff, national security advisors, secretaries of state and defense. If you haven't done so, look them up. Read them closely. If your life depended on it, would you believe John Kelly, or Don? JD was right the first time. Country over party.
There used to be a real power to incumbency but at least at the top this has not been the case for a long time , at least 30-40 years (Reagan). This is true in almost every western nation. One possible explantion is the power that is driving the dissatisfaction is beyond the ability of politics to solve it - especially politics without compromise as both parties move from the middle. Let’s hope we don’t go back to trickle down economics because a trickle is not going to cut it.
This is a quaint discussion. Yes the lefts identity politics have been corrosive and unsuccessful. But can’t we also admit that Dons “inclusive politics” is even worse? Why else did JD muse if he was “Americas Hitler”, and “cultural heroin”? The warnings of Kelly and the legions of Dons other highest level staff are what is now on the line. Let’s hope they are wrong.
I wrote this to a friend prior to reading your take. Not quite the same but close enough for government work: file under great minds think alike.
FDR built the modern D Party on a coalition of disparate interests and it withstood the test of time. I think Obama thought he could do the same. Retain the old coalition while bring in the chose your gender people, the antisemites, the climate change fanatics, the DEI all white people are racists and so on. Problem is they despised the old coalition. Racist, sexist ,etc. Oil meets Water. You can only do all R’s are fascists and Orangeman bad for so long. The Bush R’s couldn’t see it and were unable to take advantage of it. I think RR did but after that it was same old, same old. Ie Bush I and Bush II.
There are some voices of sanity out there but I can’t see AOC or Bernie or any others willing to grasp the nettle. Also see the poem The Second Coming. The center cannot hold etc.
Since the election, I have been buried in leftist media to see their take. It is an axiom that you only learn from defeat, not victory. So what did they learn. So far not much. I see a lot of doubling down. Perhaps more later when they have time to reflect. I have spent a lot of time at The Liberal Patriot which is more Bill Clinton style liberal rather than leftist. Trying to convince Ruy that he is in the wrong party. No chance of success but it is fun. Problem is that he was right all along about the Democrats.
As for MAGA, I am going to let them celebrate for a few days before I start hassling them. I see Victory Disease. They have several issues. First, is there an actual realignment or is Trump a unicorn. He is term-limited and mortal so the succession problem has to be dealt with. Second, what do you do with the about 70M people on the other side. I don't see them to be amenable to persuasion, no matter how good things are. And then there is the overhanging economic disaster in the making.