Re:The Seven Habits of Highly Depolarizing People
by emodendroket on Tuesday February 23, 2016 @10:52AM
(#11159688)
In a lot of ways I agree with what you're saying, but that makes the whole "polarization" thing even more preposterous to me. The political parties are broadly in agreement with each other about many of the big issues even when voters are not -- how can anyone look at this situation and say the problem is that more "civility" or "consensus" is what is needed?
Re:The Seven Habits of Highly Depolarizing People
by jessaustin on Tuesday February 23, 2016 @12:33PM
(#11160588)
Yes we are in broad agreement. The only consolation I see is that the media echo chamber that reinforces this distraction is slowly becoming less effective at that task.
Re:The Seven Habits of Highly Depolarizing People
by rajacombinator on Tuesday February 23, 2016 @06:43PM
(#11163321)
I generally agree with your blame TPTB first mindset, but in this case I think they underestimated Trump. Although he's not a deep policy thinker and historically has been indistinguishable from any other trendy NYC lib, he has two distinguishing traits. First, his massive ego, second, he's a violently pro-American nationalist, moreso than anyone in the past 50 years. That presents a major challenge for the globalist TPTB's current dialog - even his rhetoric is disruptive to their worldwide agenda. Maybe you're right and this is a cleverly planned dialectical antithesis that will be used to sneak in more Patriot Act style moves, but I think there's a genuine chance things have gone off script.
Re:The Seven Habits of Highly Depolarizing People
by jessaustin on Wednesday February 24, 2016 @03:19PM
(#11169902)
I don't think Donny has a monopoly, among politicians, on "massive ego". As for his nationalism, I won't be surprised when he declines to build mile one of the Great Wall of Arizona. After all, he'll point out, net undocumented Mexican immigration has been negative for years. This will be the big scandal of his third year in office, that he decided to spend all those billions of dollars on more plausibly useful public infrastructure, built in more politically valuable Congressional districts. (Also, public employee pension funds.) Obama still hasn't mothballed the running joke on the taxpayers that is Guantanamo Bay, and that was nearly as important to his supporters when he was running the first time. It will take a stronger person than Donny to ignore the personal surveillance dossiers that land on his desk the day after inauguration.
It sort of backfired on TPTB this time around, however. Not only did they get annoying one-step-beyond-the-pale "alternatives" like Cruz, they also got legitimately different directions like Sanders and Paul. TPTB had wisely saved the easily-controlled pseudo-alternative Trump for this election, though, so he's been able to take the wind out of those sails. His two terms will be like a rerun of W's (or, frankly, O's). In eight years, though, to whom will they turn? There's no way Hillary will be able to stomach "standing by her man" for that much longer. Christie is just too fat. If you want to see the next fake-alternative president before anyone else does, keep watching those reality shows!