As you guys know, a big topic of interest for me is the last party realignment, and how Ronald Reagan came to power. And given the sheer amount of "malaise" I'm feeling over politics, I have to wonder if these kinds of attitudes are what led to the rise of modern conservatism.
Looking at the 1970s we can see the same patterns repeating. First, we have the civil rights era in the 1960s. This led to a period of massive change, and one that divided the party. The feds imposing civil rights on the south alienated them, driving the south from the democratic party.
The party also experienced other problems, as the establishment failed to maintain control over their party. Humphrey was essentially the chosen one, and alienated the progressive base of the democratic party, which further contributed to his loss.
In 1972, no one really wanted the democrats, and nixon had a solid grip on electoral politics. And the progressives banded together and promoted McGovern as a nominee. He won, but the party establishment hated him, so they sabotaged him. He was "too far left" as he proposed *gasp* basic income, as well as a lot of extreme (for the time) social policies. People love to point out the UBI as the reason for his loss, but in reality, IMO, it was the social stuff, and the sabotage from within the party, and just the fact that people liked Nixon.
But then, much like today, supply shortages sent the "good" (It wasn't really "good", as UBI advocates even back then were saying tons of issues existed undernieth those growing wages and 4% unemployment) economy into a spiral of inflation, and people just starting being frustrated. As the nixon administration went down in flames and no one really liked Ford, Carter won in 1976, only to be handed every problem under the sun, from the hostage crises, to the USSR invading Afghanistan, to the economy, to the energy crisis, to the fact that his own party was against him, and nothing got done.
It was a period of malaise. People just lost faith in the government. because it was doing things but it wasnt really doing things, if that made sense. And people didn't feel positive effects in their lives as a result. They just saw the problems.
With Biden in office, and facing supply chain crises and a so called "labor shortage" from covid and the economy being knocked all out of whack, democrats are flailing in approval ratings. Biden isn't doing anything. he's passing token bills but those bills dont make peoples' lives better. And the left hates biden for being moderate, and then manchin and sinema are just clogging everything up.
No one is happy. Everyone is freaking out calling for ideological purity. While some calling for purity is a good thing, as the different factions of the party want different things and often see the world in fundamentally different ways, it's getting a bit much, as even people who kind of sort of support a side aren't welcome because they don't support every aspect of it.
I really have to wonder if, back in the 70s, after being subjected to constant crises and outrage for a good 15 years, if by the time we got Reagan, if people just didn't care any more. The left doesn't like to admit it, and seems to work against this on a fundamental level sometimes, but human nature is selfish. Most people are first and foremost interested in their own well being, including myself. Now, I understand this. This is why I don't expect people to "care". I base my views on what I call "enlightened self interest", branching my own concerns, with those of the community, bringing individualism and collectivism together in a way that works. but the left...doesn't do that. They just keep people on a perpetual outrage cycle of expecting people to constantly care, and it just...doesn't work.
I could see the boomers, having spent their entire 20s and 30s in a crapshow, basically turning around in the 1980s and saying screw it, economy is back to normal, economy is growing, I'm making money, this is fine. They hated the wokies because they were constantly screaming as they always do. And maybe people just really liked Reagan despite him structurally setting up the future generation for failure because he brought a sense of normalcy back to America.
I don't think Reagan's path was the right one. I've been convinced that small government conservatism can't work. But the left isn't working either. In my opinion, we need Yang, or someone like him. Someone who is for some level of government involvement, but who simplifies it and makes it work. Yang's principle of modern effective governance appeals to the ex conservative in me because I understand how conservatism has a point in saying that government doesnt work. if your entire approach to government is based on incremental band aid ism and bureaucratic solutions that people can't feel, yeah you're gonna lose support. I don't want the old left back. The reason I supported bernie was to get back to a starting point, and bring to an end the era of conservatism. But it seems like instead the left is repeating its past mistakes and turning people off.
If we're not careful, trump could win, and the right might push an ideological victory yet again, relegating the left to being that alternative party of demonized and unpopular ideas no one wants to touch for the next 40 years. It scares me, but it can happen. The reason I feel malaise is because I don't feel like the left represents me any more. But obviously I'm not a right winger either. It's literally only the forwardists who are remotely close to my politics.
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