(Disclaimer: I am not and have never been a Democrat. I think some of the more extreme elements of the Democrat party are full-on idiots).
Reading the comments here I see what amounts to a bunch of both-siderism (especially WRT Lincoln project--which isn't actually the Democrats). I also see a lot of talk about the "extremism" of the Demo…
(Disclaimer: I am not and have never been a Democrat. I think some of the more extreme elements of the Democrat party are full-on idiots).
Reading the comments here I see what amounts to a bunch of both-siderism (especially WRT Lincoln project--which isn't actually the Democrats). I also see a lot of talk about the "extremism" of the Democrat agenda.
I am kind of wondering what a lot of you folks are smoking.
The GoP is becoming increasingly and visible insane, is actually driven by its more extreme elements and is beholden to a man whose only interest is himself, whose only love is himself (and how well that fits into contemporary American culture--what a mirror to hold up to ourselves, eh).
And we look set to put these people back into power... because wokeness, because we might spend some money on non-well-to-do people. Might pay more in taxes. If it wasn't so sad and scary it would be hilarious.
Unlike the GoP, the extremist elements don't actually control the Democrat Party. They make a lot of noise on social media and in the general media. Yet, strangely, most of the progressive agenda doesn't really ever seem to get anywhere... mostly because of kickback in the Democrat party, itself.
We have spent the last several decades under variations of conservative, corporate governance (even when the Democrats were purportedly in power). That is what has gotten us to the point that we are at:
Economic inequality not seen since since the Gilded Age;
Increased racial animosity and visible prejudice, heading towards violence;
Bailouts for the rich and the corps while the rest go hang;
A general willful ignorance of objective reality;
A preference for performance/entertainment over actual substance (and a confusion of the first for the second);
Social disaffection to the point that people are unwilling to wear a MASK during a pandemic (if only to exhibit social solidarity and caring for others) or to get a vaccination.
Too many Americans are unmoored to reality. Spend too much time on social media. Listen to too many idiots whose only cachet is their popularity--think that opinions = facts.
There is no actual leadership, anywhere. They are a lot of "leaders" who are merely people trying to get out in front of the other idiots--either so they can pretend they have power or so they can make money. Leaders do not ape and amplify the feelings and opinions of the mob, leaders SHAPE and reform the feelings and opinions of the mob (hopefully to improve them and culture, in general). I am seeing very little of this. It IS out there but it is drowned in the excrement extravaganza that we have made of our culture and politics.
The problems are not in our politics, the problem is in our culture. The politics is merely a visible symptom.
Unfortunately there is no quick fix. There may not even be a fix short of an actual collapse pf the system. I am increasing convinced of this, when I look around me. The problem with a collapse is that you can't know what you are going to end up with, instead.
This is exactly right. As an actual liberal (but not a Leftist), we have like 10 actual Leftists in the Democratic Party at the national level. And 10 votes is nowhere close to a majority of anything.
I am consistently surprised by how many people across the political spectrum refuse to confront the cultural rot ripping through conservative America's institutions.
(Disclaimer: I am not and have never been a Democrat. I think some of the more extreme elements of the Democrat party are full-on idiots).
Reading the comments here I see what amounts to a bunch of both-siderism (especially WRT Lincoln project--which isn't actually the Democrats). I also see a lot of talk about the "extremism" of the Democrat agenda.
I am kind of wondering what a lot of you folks are smoking.
The GoP is becoming increasingly and visible insane, is actually driven by its more extreme elements and is beholden to a man whose only interest is himself, whose only love is himself (and how well that fits into contemporary American culture--what a mirror to hold up to ourselves, eh).
And we look set to put these people back into power... because wokeness, because we might spend some money on non-well-to-do people. Might pay more in taxes. If it wasn't so sad and scary it would be hilarious.
Unlike the GoP, the extremist elements don't actually control the Democrat Party. They make a lot of noise on social media and in the general media. Yet, strangely, most of the progressive agenda doesn't really ever seem to get anywhere... mostly because of kickback in the Democrat party, itself.
We have spent the last several decades under variations of conservative, corporate governance (even when the Democrats were purportedly in power). That is what has gotten us to the point that we are at:
Economic inequality not seen since since the Gilded Age;
Increased racial animosity and visible prejudice, heading towards violence;
Bailouts for the rich and the corps while the rest go hang;
A general willful ignorance of objective reality;
A preference for performance/entertainment over actual substance (and a confusion of the first for the second);
Social disaffection to the point that people are unwilling to wear a MASK during a pandemic (if only to exhibit social solidarity and caring for others) or to get a vaccination.
Too many Americans are unmoored to reality. Spend too much time on social media. Listen to too many idiots whose only cachet is their popularity--think that opinions = facts.
There is no actual leadership, anywhere. They are a lot of "leaders" who are merely people trying to get out in front of the other idiots--either so they can pretend they have power or so they can make money. Leaders do not ape and amplify the feelings and opinions of the mob, leaders SHAPE and reform the feelings and opinions of the mob (hopefully to improve them and culture, in general). I am seeing very little of this. It IS out there but it is drowned in the excrement extravaganza that we have made of our culture and politics.
The problems are not in our politics, the problem is in our culture. The politics is merely a visible symptom.
Unfortunately there is no quick fix. There may not even be a fix short of an actual collapse pf the system. I am increasing convinced of this, when I look around me. The problem with a collapse is that you can't know what you are going to end up with, instead.
This is exactly right. As an actual liberal (but not a Leftist), we have like 10 actual Leftists in the Democratic Party at the national level. And 10 votes is nowhere close to a majority of anything.
I am consistently surprised by how many people across the political spectrum refuse to confront the cultural rot ripping through conservative America's institutions.