I can tell you are a perfectionist. You want more than the politicians can give. But this hearing was very good, even if the 30% that are part of the Progressive Left are completely tuned out or turned off. The point is to influence the middle 40 percent, the Independents, the business Democrats. I once was a Democrat and I was invited to an event a few Saturdays ago to celebrate a new County Board of Supervisor. I could tell who was part of the county staff because they were young--I mean under 45. The rest were so old. I mean old, old, like Pelosi, Schumer, and Diane Feinstein. The newly elected supervisor was young--in her mid-forties. But I looked at that crowd and I thought well this cannot look promising to an up and coming politician. In a few years half will be dead. All of these political debacles were Neo-liberal in origin. When the economy implodes, do you think the average worker will want to support these wars, these paranoid security state things, this bloated bureaucracy? Do the Neo-Cons want to pay their own way? Doubt it.
I don't think it's the progressives on the left who are actually tuned out, rather it's the "neoliberals" (I hate the misuse of that term), the Dem centrists or mainstreamers, the ones who truly believe in Russiagate, who truly think Putin is the new Hitler, who dismiss anything that's not in the NY Times.
The war will continue or not, based on the ability of Ukraine to keep fighting and the willingness of the west to continue to fund a hopeless effort, which includes the people. But that won't end things, Putin and Russia will be the demons in a war that has gone cold again, and always promises to heat up again, until he is removed internally or retires or dies. So maybe the neocon attention switches back to Iran, which is always the ultimate prize.
And meanwhile the efforts to control the population through barriers to free speech and propaganda will continue to increase. The left today is properly docile, but there remain all the problems on the right. Part of that problem has been caused by making the Dems the party of minorities and victim groups, and it's problematic to have a two-party system with one party being your strongest allies, because that naturally makes the other party the home of your greatest enemies.
I think I'm realistic about politicians, it's the people who I want more from than they can apparently give. Which speaks to the effectiveness of the paradigms and the propaganda and the social training. I think Taibbi's response to Rep. Allred shows that - it was good that he didn't just knuckle under and agree that "hate speech" should be censored, even facing up to a black guy who had been talking 'N-word", but he didn't say it shouldn't be either, and he sure didn't get in his face about talking N-word when it's only that kind of negative reverance that gives it any power anyway. What's more important, free speech or bullshit sensitivities? It doesn't seem like Taibbi has decided yet. I think he actually has, but you will never hear him admit it. Which is exactly the problem we have in general, no one will admit it. That's how we lose free speech, by not being willing to fight and die (socially anyway) for it.
I can tell you are a perfectionist. You want more than the politicians can give. But this hearing was very good, even if the 30% that are part of the Progressive Left are completely tuned out or turned off. The point is to influence the middle 40 percent, the Independents, the business Democrats. I once was a Democrat and I was invited to an event a few Saturdays ago to celebrate a new County Board of Supervisor. I could tell who was part of the county staff because they were young--I mean under 45. The rest were so old. I mean old, old, like Pelosi, Schumer, and Diane Feinstein. The newly elected supervisor was young--in her mid-forties. But I looked at that crowd and I thought well this cannot look promising to an up and coming politician. In a few years half will be dead. All of these political debacles were Neo-liberal in origin. When the economy implodes, do you think the average worker will want to support these wars, these paranoid security state things, this bloated bureaucracy? Do the Neo-Cons want to pay their own way? Doubt it.
I don't think it's the progressives on the left who are actually tuned out, rather it's the "neoliberals" (I hate the misuse of that term), the Dem centrists or mainstreamers, the ones who truly believe in Russiagate, who truly think Putin is the new Hitler, who dismiss anything that's not in the NY Times.
The war will continue or not, based on the ability of Ukraine to keep fighting and the willingness of the west to continue to fund a hopeless effort, which includes the people. But that won't end things, Putin and Russia will be the demons in a war that has gone cold again, and always promises to heat up again, until he is removed internally or retires or dies. So maybe the neocon attention switches back to Iran, which is always the ultimate prize.
And meanwhile the efforts to control the population through barriers to free speech and propaganda will continue to increase. The left today is properly docile, but there remain all the problems on the right. Part of that problem has been caused by making the Dems the party of minorities and victim groups, and it's problematic to have a two-party system with one party being your strongest allies, because that naturally makes the other party the home of your greatest enemies.
I think I'm realistic about politicians, it's the people who I want more from than they can apparently give. Which speaks to the effectiveness of the paradigms and the propaganda and the social training. I think Taibbi's response to Rep. Allred shows that - it was good that he didn't just knuckle under and agree that "hate speech" should be censored, even facing up to a black guy who had been talking 'N-word", but he didn't say it shouldn't be either, and he sure didn't get in his face about talking N-word when it's only that kind of negative reverance that gives it any power anyway. What's more important, free speech or bullshit sensitivities? It doesn't seem like Taibbi has decided yet. I think he actually has, but you will never hear him admit it. Which is exactly the problem we have in general, no one will admit it. That's how we lose free speech, by not being willing to fight and die (socially anyway) for it.