calbear93 said:
Zippergate said:
Unfamiliar with the Yogi drama but I do have great respect for Taibbi and Tulsi, neither of whom are conservatives. To each his own, of course, but in what way is Kamala a superior candidate to Tulsi?
Tulsi has been more of a nationalist than conservative. She is in a lot of ways the nationalist that Bernie Sanders used to be, which of course is very close to the nationalists that comprise MAGA. She also has sympathies for Russia against NATO, once again very similar to MAGA, with views that USA needs to stop intervening in world affairs. She is a bit of a wild card, like supporting single payer system for universal health care. I think of her as a socially conservative version of Bernie Sanders. What most in MAGA don't realize is how far MAGA is from conservative values and how much closer they are to the democratic socialism with nationalistic views that Sanders used to champion.
"[D]emocratic socialism"? You dropped in a major premise with no argument supporting it. I think MAGA represents a populist appeal from a social and fiscal conservative POV. I will agree that populists on both sides will find themselves agreeing on some issues, simply because those two groups, though, I believe deliberately and artificially polarized these days, compromise the vast majority of the citizenry and, ironically, without intense political provocation, live and work, side by side, and, daily, face the same, ordinary issues, together. One common issue, right now, is the cost of living. Wealthy people might recognize it, but the majority feel it until it hurts these days. So, solution?
Liberal populists may want higher minimum wages (watch the wage-push inflation to ensue), price controls, guaranteed income, et cetera.
Conservative populists may want increased small business loans, lower taxes, tariffs, more stringent borders, et cetera.
Two sides of the same coin. I grew up middle class with most neighbors being blue collars or farmers. The kids I grew up with were in New Deal Democrat families. We did not see eye to eye on many subjects, but, now, as we've aged, we're mostly on the same page. But our common struggles and needs are the same. And today's hippie, may be tomorrow's free speech conservative. The idea that we may shout at each other until the other side gives up. Effectively trying to silence that other voice is neither free speech nor healthy democracy of any form.
MAGA itself, is a slogan not a static state of being. MAGA voters span a wide spectrum from moderate to, yes, crazy and ridiculous. I did not vote for Trump in 2016, instead I voted Libertarian. I found Trump to be abrasive, pugnacious, seemingly dogmatic (although I have learned to believe his promises), and more than willing to share unpleasant facts. As time wore I began to appreciate him more and more. He says much BS- or what most would consider such, but he makes things work.
I don't ask anyone to like or love him, that's too much. But many people who hated him, have changed their minds. C'est le guerre politic.
"Just win, baby."
