15 Comments
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Mike Hampton's avatar

A worthy tome for insanity being the new normal.

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Reckoning's avatar

I enjoyed this one and I appreciate the comparison with the Covid response. I recall the people who wanted vaccine passports and felt they deserved privileges for “doing the right thing”, along with punishments for those who didn’t comply. I suppose that someone who is that slavish wants a cookie for their compliance.

I also suspect that this has something to do with an atomized society where people over identify with institutions. Liberals seem to want nothing more than to nestle in the arms of some large bureaucracy.

Another Substack commentator noted that the Democratic Party sees itself as a group of constituencies sharing power and spoils, whereas Republicans are party members first and the leader gets to set the direction. So the Democrats don’t even want direct democracy, as it disrupts the negotiations. It’s also worth remembering that the 2020 Democratic primaries were short circuited when all the contenders except Sanders struck deals early on.

To me, this whole process deals a major blow to their credibility, but who knows, voters seem willing to accept pretty much anything these days.

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Brad Pearce's avatar

The Democrats are “benevolent” whites leading a minority coalition, even if they go for brown figureheads. Its a fraught position, that is likely to collapse.

I still cant quite wrap my head around what impact covid had on the vast majority of left of center people. Even the ones who thought government overreacted in an oppressive way and the public got carried away could rarely make the leap it was a scam. Probably some combination of belief in science fixing society and the opportunity for government to focus more on helping the sick and weak

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Reckoning's avatar

I tend to think that Kamala is supposed to signify to minorities a passing of the torch. Pelosi and Schumer and the Clintons are still around, but how much longer? At that point, the white people will be expected to step back into their new subservient role.

The white HR ladies will undoubtedly survive, as they don’t have much real power and they help smooth things over. There really isn’t anything in this new order for white males, hence the un-dude like White Dudes event and the actual young dudes moving to the right, not joining the military, etc.

Yes the leftists really went nuts over Covid. I recall during fall 2021 all my coworkers on Teams calls excitedly bragging about their shots and what brand they got. Then once everyone got Covid that winter they just glumly announced who was off sick with Covid and trailed off.

But there is an absolute refusal for most to contemplate that they got it wrong. After all that would make you a conspiracy theorist, which is the worst thing to be these days. Leftists never admit they got things wrong, they just drop the subject without explanation.

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Somebody Else's avatar

I find the theater wonderful. We have this provocative story wherein the protagonist is one of the following:

A survivor of an assassin’s bullet

Or

A resurgent defender of democracy

The question is obvious; which one?

So let’s debate between two suitors who have the same aim.

I would humbly argue that there has never been and will never be a difference between these two actors.

I feel like I’m a peasant watching what my lords and kings think of me. And it’s strangely liberating.

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Brad Pearce's avatar

The great irony of course is with Russiagate etc their entire political view is itself a conspiracy theory

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Cliff's avatar

"when a plan specifically calls for a general’s worst troops, you’re about to read something fucked up"

This is a wonderful way to describe our current state of affairs.

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nthnpnn@gmail.com's avatar

An astute alliteration, and applied adequately

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Brad Pearce's avatar

Hah thanks, I had “curious cult” but “cult” is overused in politics, I wanted to do “faction” but never did come up with a F adjective

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Reader's avatar

A "fatuous faction" would be alliterative and accurate.

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Brad Pearce's avatar

Oh that is good

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Dewey's avatar

I think you're misreading the vibe of most Kamala supporters: it is a feeling of relief not love. This election is about Trump, period. The majority of voters do not want another four years of his brand of chaos (due to the electoral college, he stands a very good chance of winning nonetheless), especially since he is now a much older, less capable, much less funny candidate. Kamala's convention speech, and her evisceration of Trump at the debate, showed she can be a capable candidate.

The MAGA crowd is not supporting Trump for his policies- whatever happened to Mexico paying for a border wall? And Kamala supporters are not backing her for her plans and promises. This is just a referendum on Trump and there is relief in having a candidate in place who has a chance to beat him.

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Brad Pearce's avatar

no, I am not misreading them. We all saw 2020 when they were happy simply for a chance to beat Trump but were not enthusiastic about the candidate himself. But you're certainly correct that they are not backing her for her "plans and promises"

She also did not at all eviscerate him at the debate. Neither did a very good job. Admittedly she came off as less retarded than usual but Trump also came off as focused on the issues that impact Americans and not psychotic.

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Dewey's avatar

We must have watched different debates.

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Brad Pearce's avatar

no I think you just believed the media blare

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