03-16-2020, 01:49 AM
(This post was last modified: 03-16-2020, 02:18 AM by Eric the Green.)
Boomers should opt out and die? I dunno. Being a boomer I don't like that too much.
Are they opting out? It appears not. The Democratic blue boomers voted in droves for Joe Biden and grossly outvoted the poor millennials who stayed home or voted for Sanders, and the Xers are caught somewhere in between. Meanwhile other boomers and Xers and even some millennials are fascinated by a horrible demagogue who is entertaining but is foisting everything wrong with America on us, including especially the lack of interest in seeing that people have the walls they need and the other basic things they need, and the fewer opportunities for young people to rise in society instead of being consigned to debt and drift.
So I find myself agreeing that boomers should get out of the way so progressives could rule instead of "moderate" corporate-supported candidates who don't want to rock the boat too much and disturb the comfort us boomers are used to. Obviously though, it's not happening, and the only political candidates who can win in either party tend to be boomers or even late silent war babies like Biden, Sanders and Bloomberg.
Is it a red vs. blue fight? Of course it is. But the blues don't seem to have their act together enough to put forward someone who offers a powerful progressive alternative to the status quo, especially the status quo of the Reagan ideology that has determined most of these problems.
So it is indeed IDEOLOGY that is in the way. There's the fundie Christians who want to impose a theocracy, there's the xenophobes and militarists and other nationalists and racists, and then there's the big one that seems to fit in with the other two, Reaganomics. Trickle down econnomics; let business have its way and the job creaters will provide. Just stop giving welfare to "those lazy people" (cue racist dog whistle) or those illegal immigrants (cue Trump's xenophobia), so that "my money" doesn't get taken away "by force" through taxes and given to these freeloaders. That's the scam. That's the rub. And it's the Republican Party's ideology. It is red vs. blue, because the blue side, timidly and inadequately, is the party of the common people who reject this ideology to one degree or the other. The problem, among other things, is the timidity of the blue side, the half measures that are proposed and occasionally taken, but are stiffly rejected by the red side, leaving us with in effect a regime of Reaganomics and trickle-down free-market ideology that has reigned for 40 years.
Is this a boomer vs the younger generations thing? Only if you understand that the boomers have deserted their old hippie and yippie dreams and are now just defending their comfort by supporting either deep red or timid shades of blue. The millennials, and not the hapless nomads caught in the middle and largely supporting Reaganomics because they were brought up under it, are the generation that is supposed to end this stalemate, but only by going deep blue and defeating the deep red. To do this, millennials will need to be engaged and discover their civic identity. In 2018 they discovered that midterms are part of their civic life. They have yet to discover primary elections, apparently.
The book didn't say heroes are supposed to do their thing when the prophets leave. Quite the reverse. The prophets are supposed to be those who lead the heroes onward toward victory. Today's prophets may be inadequate, but that's no excuse for heroes to opt out and not vote, which they didn't do on super tuesday.
Progress always needs political progress, and a true deep blue is the only way this progress will happen.
The culture war, and such culture as the boomers and silents created, is largely in the background right now for all generations. But the boomer new age culture is always relevant, and we are wise to heed its lessons and enjoy its fruits. What political progress we make will be stale indeed if we ditch everything the Awakening taught us. But without the political progress in this 4T, the culture may not survive either.
So, the times we are in require political activism for deep blue policies. That means defeating the Republicans utterly. The stalemate will continue until deep blue defeats deep red. Compromise is not viable in a 4T. Blame that on boomers if you can, but I think the problem is not that boomers are stubborn ideologues, and that Xers and millennials are not. The problem is that the blue boomers and Xers are not deep blue enough, and that the millennials, who are deep blue, have not yet risen up enough to defeat deep red. But our nation depends on this rising up of the blue wave among all generations. Only the blue side can get the nation moving in the direction that leads to all having enough. That is the deep blue platform, so if you support the goal, you must stand on it.
Blues need to get back to 1966, and feel it still, like in this 1966 commercial. And to grow up, get brave, and get on the horse and ride.
Are they opting out? It appears not. The Democratic blue boomers voted in droves for Joe Biden and grossly outvoted the poor millennials who stayed home or voted for Sanders, and the Xers are caught somewhere in between. Meanwhile other boomers and Xers and even some millennials are fascinated by a horrible demagogue who is entertaining but is foisting everything wrong with America on us, including especially the lack of interest in seeing that people have the walls they need and the other basic things they need, and the fewer opportunities for young people to rise in society instead of being consigned to debt and drift.
So I find myself agreeing that boomers should get out of the way so progressives could rule instead of "moderate" corporate-supported candidates who don't want to rock the boat too much and disturb the comfort us boomers are used to. Obviously though, it's not happening, and the only political candidates who can win in either party tend to be boomers or even late silent war babies like Biden, Sanders and Bloomberg.
Is it a red vs. blue fight? Of course it is. But the blues don't seem to have their act together enough to put forward someone who offers a powerful progressive alternative to the status quo, especially the status quo of the Reagan ideology that has determined most of these problems.
So it is indeed IDEOLOGY that is in the way. There's the fundie Christians who want to impose a theocracy, there's the xenophobes and militarists and other nationalists and racists, and then there's the big one that seems to fit in with the other two, Reaganomics. Trickle down econnomics; let business have its way and the job creaters will provide. Just stop giving welfare to "those lazy people" (cue racist dog whistle) or those illegal immigrants (cue Trump's xenophobia), so that "my money" doesn't get taken away "by force" through taxes and given to these freeloaders. That's the scam. That's the rub. And it's the Republican Party's ideology. It is red vs. blue, because the blue side, timidly and inadequately, is the party of the common people who reject this ideology to one degree or the other. The problem, among other things, is the timidity of the blue side, the half measures that are proposed and occasionally taken, but are stiffly rejected by the red side, leaving us with in effect a regime of Reaganomics and trickle-down free-market ideology that has reigned for 40 years.
Is this a boomer vs the younger generations thing? Only if you understand that the boomers have deserted their old hippie and yippie dreams and are now just defending their comfort by supporting either deep red or timid shades of blue. The millennials, and not the hapless nomads caught in the middle and largely supporting Reaganomics because they were brought up under it, are the generation that is supposed to end this stalemate, but only by going deep blue and defeating the deep red. To do this, millennials will need to be engaged and discover their civic identity. In 2018 they discovered that midterms are part of their civic life. They have yet to discover primary elections, apparently.
The book didn't say heroes are supposed to do their thing when the prophets leave. Quite the reverse. The prophets are supposed to be those who lead the heroes onward toward victory. Today's prophets may be inadequate, but that's no excuse for heroes to opt out and not vote, which they didn't do on super tuesday.
Progress always needs political progress, and a true deep blue is the only way this progress will happen.
The culture war, and such culture as the boomers and silents created, is largely in the background right now for all generations. But the boomer new age culture is always relevant, and we are wise to heed its lessons and enjoy its fruits. What political progress we make will be stale indeed if we ditch everything the Awakening taught us. But without the political progress in this 4T, the culture may not survive either.
So, the times we are in require political activism for deep blue policies. That means defeating the Republicans utterly. The stalemate will continue until deep blue defeats deep red. Compromise is not viable in a 4T. Blame that on boomers if you can, but I think the problem is not that boomers are stubborn ideologues, and that Xers and millennials are not. The problem is that the blue boomers and Xers are not deep blue enough, and that the millennials, who are deep blue, have not yet risen up enough to defeat deep red. But our nation depends on this rising up of the blue wave among all generations. Only the blue side can get the nation moving in the direction that leads to all having enough. That is the deep blue platform, so if you support the goal, you must stand on it.
Blues need to get back to 1966, and feel it still, like in this 1966 commercial. And to grow up, get brave, and get on the horse and ride.