My concern since late 2018 or so has been that America is effectively terminal, it’s just that we don’t know it yet. That we’ve passed some internal tipping point before waking up where even if we try to course correct, it’s too late to stop the decline. I’m not sure we can get the momentum anymore to fix it. Biden and even Kamala feel more like a temporary reprieve where we’ll only have enough power to stave off total collapse, but not enough to actually make any headway. Which is basically all Biden has been able to do.
That’s a legit worry, but since we don’t know where that tipping point is we don’t know if we’ve passed it or not. I think it’s just as legitimate to maintain hope, and here’s why. The repeating pattern we’ve seen is that when progressives start to institute policies to improve people’s lives, there’s always a lag before any tangible results. During the wait the pendulum shifts back to regressivism, Republicans get in control, and then proceed to take credit as things improve. They use this momentum for more elitist policies that reverse the gains, but the harm to the general public also has a lag and doesn’t become apparent until the pendulum has shifted back to progressives, who inherit a pile of shit to contend with.
But MAGA has fragmented the Republican party so hard, after he loses the election it will take the party years to recover, as the rats claw each other to pieces trying to get on top. Instead of the usual 4-8 years it could take 12-16 for conservatives to regroup. This will provide enough time for progressive policies to take root and bear fruit, and for progressives to actually get credit and build on them. It will be impossible for Republicans to convince even their own that things are bad enough to go back to retro policies. They’ll have to think of a new playbook.
I just think this whole period of time is going to move the goalposts to the left, America will still have a chance to resemble something like the ideal we were taught to expect.
My concern since late 2018 or so has been that America is effectively terminal, it’s just that we don’t know it yet. That we’ve passed some internal tipping point before waking up where even if we try to course correct, it’s too late to stop the decline. I’m not sure we can get the momentum anymore to fix it. Biden and even Kamala feel more like a temporary reprieve where we’ll only have enough power to stave off total collapse, but not enough to actually make any headway. Which is basically all Biden has been able to do.
That’s a legit worry, but since we don’t know where that tipping point is we don’t know if we’ve passed it or not. I think it’s just as legitimate to maintain hope, and here’s why. The repeating pattern we’ve seen is that when progressives start to institute policies to improve people’s lives, there’s always a lag before any tangible results. During the wait the pendulum shifts back to regressivism, Republicans get in control, and then proceed to take credit as things improve. They use this momentum for more elitist policies that reverse the gains, but the harm to the general public also has a lag and doesn’t become apparent until the pendulum has shifted back to progressives, who inherit a pile of shit to contend with.
But MAGA has fragmented the Republican party so hard, after he loses the election it will take the party years to recover, as the rats claw each other to pieces trying to get on top. Instead of the usual 4-8 years it could take 12-16 for conservatives to regroup. This will provide enough time for progressive policies to take root and bear fruit, and for progressives to actually get credit and build on them. It will be impossible for Republicans to convince even their own that things are bad enough to go back to retro policies. They’ll have to think of a new playbook.
I just think this whole period of time is going to move the goalposts to the left, America will still have a chance to resemble something like the ideal we were taught to expect.