So, like Yang, I've recently had a breakup with the democratic party too. I haven't changed my registration as I still want to vote in primaries, but mentally, I'm just "done" with the left. The ideological and epistemological work I've done on myself over the past year makes me realize I'm not one of them. My views are just different. I might lean democratic more than republican within the two party system, but that's not to say much of anything. My views aren't welcome within the democratic party. And watching the left attack yang with such hostility just confirms my decision to leave.
I already discussed the corporate media's dishonest smears, but the actual left seems to be just as if not more hostile. Everyone screams he's a grifter and goes insane on him for...reason. Simply because he disagrees with them on some issues. I admit, yang is framing himself badly. He's trying to be this ultimate centrist right now. But...you're not a centrist dude. Growing up conservative, you're definitely left. Human centered capitalism and UBI isn't "techno-libertarian" as the left is calling him. It's basically libertarian social democracy. I'd say he's left to the moderate wing of the democratic party. But he's also to the right of the socialists. Just like I am. So he's homeless. On social issues, he went on Tucker Carlson today and discussed immigration. This is making the left, such as people like Sam Seder's Majority Report, lose their freaking minds. How dare Yang not essentially be for open borders, see? Not a real leftist? What kind of leftist goes on Tucker Carlson? Uh, one who wants to spread his ideas to the left and right. Again, yang's positioning himself as a centrist, but he isn't. The dude's left. He's just like...alt left for lack of a better term. i've been trying to define this ideology all year. Social libertarian, independentarian/real libertarian, etc. Human centered capitalism is essentially a form of "liberalism" I guess, but with a left libertarian bend. It's moderate and radical at the same time. It borrows from the left and right, while being pretty radically left in my humble opinion. But because it's not the old left, these guys confuse it as being on the right. It's not right wing. jesus guys. Shut up. You have no idea what you're talking about.
And on immigration anyway, what's wrong with being at least a little nationalist? before the past 6 years or so where identity politics became a cancer that metastasized its way through the democratic party, being at least somewhat anti illegal immigration was not a bad position. Obama deported a bunch of people and Biden is doing so too. Okay, bad example, but you get it. There's a significant faction in the democratic party that isn't super gung ho open borders, that's the far left positions. The more center left is like lets let people in, but let's not just let everyone in. That's what Yang was saying. he was saying that some immigrants add tons of wealth and skills to the country, while others, eh, not so much. And maybe we shouldn't have low skilled labor flood the market and displace American workers, but high skilled immigrants, sure. Uh, that's a reasonable center left position. Hell, that's MY position.
I mean, here's the thing. On a lot of democratic social issues, especially on race and immigration, I'm not a super woke leftie. While I understand the theory, I just full on disagree with it. My own opinions are more moderate. And I'm not willing to fall on my sword or give up my own priorities for them. Why does everything among democrats bashing ex democrats and independent lefties always have to come down to some massive idpol circlejerk? Well, to be fair, i know the answer, the republicans are a white grievance party and the democrats cynically play demographics to win the minority vote on vapid pandering without actually standing for anything. So the democratic party and the left push all of these weird positions that don't go as well with more mainline white "liberals" like me, and it's driving us out of the party.
I mean, that's basically I am what I am. I'm a white dude who considers myself working class, and has great interest in economic issues, but on social issues, it's like, eh, do what you want as long as you dont hurt others, and stay out of my hair. I'm more libertarian than "woke". But the democrats just don't appeal to people like me any more. I'm expected to care and circlejerk about their idpol stuff all the time, when I really don't believe in it or care much. Meanwhile my issues are ignored.
Heck, that's kind of why I like yang. He is bringing sanity back to politics, and his vision appeals to me. Keep in mind, I'm not a trumper. Neither are most yang gangers. Most of us actually are democrats and former democrats. And we don't have the abhorrent views that trumpers have on these issues.
I mean, on immigration, I'm at least like passive and apathetic. I've had family members and friends in the past joke about putting crocodile moats and minefields on the border. Obviously I don't find that kind of humor funny, but that's where a lot of people are at on that subject. And again, UBI, if you're a republican, that's full on communism, because to them communism is when the government taxes you and redistributes wealth without working for me. Seriously. I feel like "the left" is just so in their own little world sometimes they seem to forget what the actual right looks like. Just because people don't pass all of your purity tests, doesn't mean we're right wingers. Hell, given what the biden administration is looking like, i'm significantly left of that. I wouldnt have cowboy hat wearing jack***es whipping people and yelling "this is why your country is ****" for one. And for two, Biden would never do something as cool as UBI.
So really. I don't think these guys realize how much I'm getting put off from the left. Just because I'm not an open borders supporting communist, who "votes blue no matter who", doesn't mean I'm on the right. Or even in the center. Like, socially, I'm just mainline center left, and on economic issues, I'm somewhere between the left and far left.
I'd say overall on a 7 point likert scale within the American political spectrum, with 1 being as far left as possible and 7 being far right, I'm like a 2 on economics and a 3 on social issues (to be fair, given yang dropping healthcare, he might be a 3 on economics making him center left, but i still would argue human centered capitalism is fairly radical). I stop short of socialism and other inefficient and impractical "progressive" solutions on the economics, and on social issues, I'm like mainline center left without being crazy about it.
It's baffling. On social issues, like 9 years ago when I became an atheist, I was like unapologetically far left at the time, due to my secularism. But as the social battlegrounds shift from primarily religious vs secular oriented social issues toward more identity based issues, I find myself increasingly out of sync with the democrats, especially as they become increasingly intolerant to dissent.
I was thinking of making an article recently asking if I'm moving further right as I age socially, but I'm actually not, mostly. The demands of what it takes to be socially left are just way higher than they used to be, and I just don't keep up, because I'm a bit more heterodox due to my background on the right and the corresponding epistemological shifts.
But that's the thing. In an environment where any dissent on these issues gets you tarred and feathered, i find myself less likely to identify with the left on those issues at all. I guess I am becoming a centrist on that stuff simply because the overton window is so much further left than it used to be. I'm only in my 30s and I feel old. I remember how things were when I was a teenager in the early-mid 2000s and how much different things are even now. And while I believe some changes are for the better, others not so much. Never thought I'd be nostalgic for the 2000s but here I am...but now I'm rambling.
I guess the point is, that it really is eye opening watching the left react to Andrew Yang leaving, because given how similar my politics are, this is what I've been dealing with for years, and no wonder I face so much hostility online from other lefties. I'm definitely not a right winger, but I'm also kind of being ousted from "the left" at the same time, simply for having a different opinion. And I guess that's why I like yang. He's actually likeminded to where I am on stuff, and I actually...get him. I'd take his forward party, warts and all, over dealing with any of the three major factions of "democrats" these days. I mean one criticism I think that's legit is I wish yang did keep more of his 2020 policies in their original glory (like healthcare and climate change), but other than that, yeah, I'm with yang more than i am with either of the two big parties.
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