Way back in 2004, the first election cycle I was old enough to vote, I’d initially gone all in for Howard Dean and later turned ride or die for Kerry/Edwards.
2016 seems to have caused a major psychotic fracture in our transnational managerial technocracy and their many acolytes all gathered together on the sunny banks of the Right Side of History™.
What I keep trying to express to my friends in the liberal class, who are all so tolerant they can tolerate anything except someone who disagrees with them and so deeply committed to Democracy as long as their side always wins, is more or less:
In 2016 half the country voted for a clownish TV game-show host to be President based almost entirely on one issue: BUILD THE WALL aka stop mass illegal immigration. Instead of heeding the will of the winning side, compromising and negotiating, taking the sane Obama position—“We simply cannot allow people to pour into the United States undetected, undocumented, unchecked, and circumventing the line of people who are waiting patiently, diligently, and lawfully to become immigrants in this country”—they responded with perhaps History's loudest longest tantrum, denouncing everything and everyone for various bigoted -ISMs, and painting themselves into a fantastical ideological corner where suddenly anyone who crosses the border comes with a halo and any American who doesn't want to grant them immediate housing and health care is some species of Nazi who needs to be jailed.
My quick oversimplified summary of the 21st century political zeitgeist is: first the progressive oligarchy hogged all the assets (globalism has been a goldmine for the liberal class, their home values, salaries, and 401ks); then they hogged all the virtue (Social Justice morality has conquered all, is embedded in every movie, TV show, commercial etc, and anyone who dissents is immediately skunk-sprayed with a bigotry accusation); and now they want to hog all the power—by any means necessary and no matter what has to be destroyed in the process.
"2016 seems to have caused a major psychotic fracture in our transnational managerial technocracy and their many acolytes all gathered together on the sunny banks of the Right Side of History™."
I appreciated your whole comment, but the above sentence stands out. You know how to say it, Clever P.
"She’s reminiscent of a ton of people I met in my career as a professional progressive: glib, devoid of any discernible vision or values, and as ambitious as she is vacuous. I don’t know if I’d support her to be my condo board president, let alone Commander in Chief."
Banger. You described most of the PMC NPCs in NYC.
I loved Obama, and still do. Obamacare quite literally saved my life. I went from sick person with no insurance, to sick person with insurance. Never before has a candidate’s policy so directly affected the trajectory of my life. Word.
Great essay, TIE. What I appreciate most is your instinct to continually test your 'priors' and make sure they still deliver. When they don't, you adjust course accordingly, and calmly. Once that approach catches on there'll be no stopping us!
I don't know enough about Harris to form much of an opinion at all. I never lived in California, and she was seemingly sidelined during her VP term.
if she was running this campaign based on her 2019-20 policy positions, I would not vote for her. I didn't in 2020. (she dropped out before my state's primary)
OK, so she's supposed to have moved to the center, reportedly. (me shrugging my shoulders) Who knows?
"The unfortunate reality is that many, and probably most, avowedly progressive institutions have over the past decade or two betrayed much of what they’d traditionally stood for." In that case, Exile, why did this happen to so many, probably most, avowedly progressive institutions at the same time? If there is a common cause, what was it?
I enjoyed reading your personal political journey. I appreciated reading as well your rationale for not supporting Harris in this election. I reach a different conclusion but it's healthy to hear a well reasoned argument on the other side of this issue.
I would be surprised if the Senate does not flip R, even if Harris wins. In any case, I think doing away with the filibuster would be dangerous and foolish.
Great piece, I am with you all the way.
2016 seems to have caused a major psychotic fracture in our transnational managerial technocracy and their many acolytes all gathered together on the sunny banks of the Right Side of History™.
What I keep trying to express to my friends in the liberal class, who are all so tolerant they can tolerate anything except someone who disagrees with them and so deeply committed to Democracy as long as their side always wins, is more or less:
In 2016 half the country voted for a clownish TV game-show host to be President based almost entirely on one issue: BUILD THE WALL aka stop mass illegal immigration. Instead of heeding the will of the winning side, compromising and negotiating, taking the sane Obama position—“We simply cannot allow people to pour into the United States undetected, undocumented, unchecked, and circumventing the line of people who are waiting patiently, diligently, and lawfully to become immigrants in this country”—they responded with perhaps History's loudest longest tantrum, denouncing everything and everyone for various bigoted -ISMs, and painting themselves into a fantastical ideological corner where suddenly anyone who crosses the border comes with a halo and any American who doesn't want to grant them immediate housing and health care is some species of Nazi who needs to be jailed.
My quick oversimplified summary of the 21st century political zeitgeist is: first the progressive oligarchy hogged all the assets (globalism has been a goldmine for the liberal class, their home values, salaries, and 401ks); then they hogged all the virtue (Social Justice morality has conquered all, is embedded in every movie, TV show, commercial etc, and anyone who dissents is immediately skunk-sprayed with a bigotry accusation); and now they want to hog all the power—by any means necessary and no matter what has to be destroyed in the process.
Thanks!
"2016 seems to have caused a major psychotic fracture in our transnational managerial technocracy and their many acolytes all gathered together on the sunny banks of the Right Side of History™."
I appreciated your whole comment, but the above sentence stands out. You know how to say it, Clever P.
thanks!
(though in fairness i did borrow "transnational managerial technocracy" from our host, however ambient the phrase may be. citational justice! lol)
citation duly noted. ;)
"She’s reminiscent of a ton of people I met in my career as a professional progressive: glib, devoid of any discernible vision or values, and as ambitious as she is vacuous. I don’t know if I’d support her to be my condo board president, let alone Commander in Chief."
Banger. You described most of the PMC NPCs in NYC.
Magnificent chronicle of the last 20 years. What went wrong, what could have gone right, why it didn't.
I loved Obama, and still do. Obamacare quite literally saved my life. I went from sick person with no insurance, to sick person with insurance. Never before has a candidate’s policy so directly affected the trajectory of my life. Word.
Pros and cons!!
The Democratic Party is disintegrating, taking DC and every National and International Institution and arrangement down as well.
All of this is normal history, all of this is decentralization to our natural and organic federated state.
Great essay, TIE. What I appreciate most is your instinct to continually test your 'priors' and make sure they still deliver. When they don't, you adjust course accordingly, and calmly. Once that approach catches on there'll be no stopping us!
I don't know enough about Harris to form much of an opinion at all. I never lived in California, and she was seemingly sidelined during her VP term.
if she was running this campaign based on her 2019-20 policy positions, I would not vote for her. I didn't in 2020. (she dropped out before my state's primary)
OK, so she's supposed to have moved to the center, reportedly. (me shrugging my shoulders) Who knows?
"The unfortunate reality is that many, and probably most, avowedly progressive institutions have over the past decade or two betrayed much of what they’d traditionally stood for." In that case, Exile, why did this happen to so many, probably most, avowedly progressive institutions at the same time? If there is a common cause, what was it?
I enjoyed reading your personal political journey. I appreciated reading as well your rationale for not supporting Harris in this election. I reach a different conclusion but it's healthy to hear a well reasoned argument on the other side of this issue.
I would be surprised if the Senate does not flip R, even if Harris wins. In any case, I think doing away with the filibuster would be dangerous and foolish.
If you want a nice companion peace to this check out the latest myopic Persuasion bullshit just released Exile. The timing could not be more perfect.