When people say things like "The right falls in line"
"The right worked hard to change the supreme court" etc.
I think the purpose is to inspire the surly youths to engage in electioneering with more joy & enthusiasm. But you're just legitimizing efforts that were often undemocratic.
It's like bootstrap theory but for the overton window. Just work harder and you can move it!
We will need to work hard, but I prefer pragmatism about the asymmetry of this game.
@futurebird
asymmetry is eactly the issue: billionaires spent billions building fascism. Leftists never had that kind of money. The right has had the press favoring them for decades because they have the wealth to buy newspaper and television companies. They buy businesses which provide critical government services. They buy universities and encourage their footsoldiers to go there.
Acting like those asymmetries don't exist has been a huge strategic error all along.
@futurebird One problem is "the right worked hard to change the supreme court" is not quite accurate. It would be more accurate to say "the right spent a lot of money to change the supreme court". If you frame it this way, it becomes more obvious that "we just have to do what they did" will not be an effective strategy
They only got those seats by playing every dirty trick they could think of and they only reason they didn't play more? Well it's because they don't think that much. That's why they are replaying all this fashy nonsense. Not a new idea to be found. They must know that there is a built in death spiral to the strong man leader-- but it worked before so they try it.
@futurebird
"I prefer pragmatism about the asymmetry of this game."
I think the asymmetry is a key characteristic. They can win with a smaller coalition. We have to bring together people who are not terribly comfortable together. We have to organize and build bridges.
I'd like to hear more about what you consider to be a pragmatic approach. You have a lot of good ideas.
I don't have any magical answers, I just find far left vs. liberal bickering intolerable at the moment given that we ought to be supporting each other since the game is about survival.
@futurebird@Osteopenia_Powers I say make the changes you can without giving up ground, and the mere fact that I talk to people who are talking about not voting for Democrats and I’m NOT talking to centrists is an indication that I recognize how much more I have in common, both in terms of values and goals, the former than the latter.
I understand the frustration that the present and near future are not what we want them to be, but we must live in the present.