The Partisan Divide on Issues

[pbrower2a]

(07-13-2020, 07:29 PM)Classic-Xer Wrote:

(07-12-2020, 09:32 PM)pbrower2a Wrote:

(07-11-2020, 03:36 AM)Bob Butler 54 Wrote:

(07-10-2020, 10:20 AM)pbrower2a Wrote: The game is already up. Our political system clicks its heels and follows a really good President; it basically ignores that President when he goes bad. As a basic reality the President has few real powers that he cannot get without support of Congress.

Not confident that the click heels and follow part is true anymore.  The Republicans went pretty much into full obstruction mode with Obama.  These days there is not nearly enough heel clicking going on.  Too much partisanship.

Third-turning behavior characteristic of the Degeneracy. Republicans and their constituencies were still trying to live in the Third Turning and came close to succeeding in sticking us with a permanent 3T. The Right has been for little more than class privilege irrespective of the human cost for about forty years. Whether Donald Trump is grossly unfit for the task (in which case he would have a successor in the Hard Right who better knows and uses the Dictator Playbook... the first page of which says "co-opt, marginalize, or outlaw the opposition"... which Trump did not do). In that scenario we have one ineffective term of Joe Biden followed by someone with the Trump ideology but not the erratic behavior.

Here's a hope for the best -- that Donald Trump is the last stage of an era of exaggerated individualism on economics and mindlessness in public culture.

Where do you think we should be this early in the 4T? What did America do as most of old Europe collapsed went haywire? Did America jump on the bandwagon and side early or watch as Europe unraveled and waited to see the victor? This may be hard to understand or grasp but Democratic controlled America is in damn near the same position as Europe right now and America is watching and waiting to see the victor as its shoring up itself and preparing for an ugly 4T. Does America have the right to become Imperialist during times of war with imperialist nations or imperialist forces within? Yes we do. Does America have the right to counter violence with violence? Yes we do. Does America have the right to punish business's that ignore American law and impose their own law? Yes we do. Does America have the right to trash and disable Amazon vans and make it impossible for Amazon to do business outside blue areas like the liberals groups were free to do with our police vehicles and police building and the stores and shops of working people and all our statues and monuments. So, how many racist fucks that aren't white do you have on your side these days that have taken the place of the whites that America forced your race driven party to let go during the 60's? So, where are we at now. Are you clinging to 3T or are you ready for 4t like the other side?  I'm willing to hand the Democratic party to the cancel culture on a silver plate and let them do as they please with them for now.

We are twelve years into this Crisis Era, so we are much closer to its end than to its beginning. This early? I was wrong about Obama having most of what it took to redefine America. Ten years ago we found out the hard way what defines a plutocracy: he who owns the gold makes the rules. Those who had the gold funded reactionary politicians to take over the House majority while gutting the Democratic majority in the Senate; six years ago the same interests flipped the Senate, and four years ago we ended up with government of the Master Class, by the Master Class, and for the Master Class. Was that the last act of Crisis politics? 

No. Let's contrast 2020 with 2008:

generation    age-08   age-20

GI..............  84-107    96+
Silent.........  66-83     78-95
Boom.........  48-65     60-77
13th...........  27-47     39-59
Mill.............  to 26      to 38

It is not clear whether any generation younger than the Millennial generation has yet defined its upper year of birth. The Civic component of public life has gone from (largely) very old to young adult almost exclusively. The Adaptive component is has gone from old to very old. Maybe in many respects '70 is the new 50', which fits generations that, beginning with the GI generation and continuing at least to Boomers, have stayed intellectually and physically active as long as possible and extended their lifespans and influence. But even that has its limits. 80 is 80 still. The Boom Generation has almost entirely entered retirement age, and Boomers who who want to remain relevant in politics and culture now need the support of younger adults. Donald Trump had little youth appeal in 2016 and he has become even more offensive to young adults. Civic adults may not be hostile to older adults on principle, but they certainly can choose which ones can have roles in leadership. 

Now that Generation X (or the Thirteenth) is in midlife, its pragmatic qualities come to the fore. It believes in what works, and even if it is moral enough (at least those who haven't sullied themselves with extreme cynicism and anger) it seems to not like elaborate pretenses about moral grandeur. Morality can be pragmatic. Life is about the means of enjoying it, and this is the time to enjoy it to the most. It has earned the role and is beginning to wonder whether time is running out. It has the most to lose if things go badly. Let us put it this way: on opposite sides of the English Channel, someone like Air Marshal Arthur Tedder and his counterpart Hermann Goering knew that if their side would lose the war they would probably be tried as major war criminals, be convicted, and die with ropes around their necks. Likewise, neither Joseph Darnand (France's quisling) and Charles de Gaulle expected to meet bad ends if defeated. It's all-or-nothing for Reactive generations even if "all" is simply getting to see one's grandchildren reach their teens. 

The big change is of course the relative importance of the Millennial Generation. Its participation in the electorate is getting more significant... and we can expect it to start making a heavy appearance in politics as elected officials. This is the most liberal generation since the GI generation at like age. It is highly rational, and it does not accept pie-in-the-sky promises or trickle-down economics. Having often experienced hardscrabble youth (GI kids did not have life easy unless born into the economic elite) they see no Golden Age in American history. They want something better than what they have known so far, and they have good cause not to trust people who take everything available. 

There is no constituency in any generation, at any level of economic attainment, or at any position in the political spectrum (other than the tiny fascist Hard Right and the tiny Commie Hard Left) for political violence or outright theft. 

Now... can one be white and consider Donald Trump a swine? Yes.