The worst part about the centrist types is the total inconsistency in their approach. They shit on principle (be it pro-democracy, pro-equality, or pro-transparency) in the name of expediency, and then turn and shit on expediency when it threatens private capital or, as they would term it it, some illusory intellectual standard.
I mean, how many times has it been shown that the "center left," the great arbiter of civil discourse, will resort to the exact same tactics as the far-right when equity is threatened? And we're supposed to defer to their paternalistic dictates?
@HomerThompson as well
I agree that
@Fawlty misread the OP, ie you are correct that the arrogance of the left is a mistake.
I think you have it wrong here though. It’s not a question of dismissing your values in the name of expediency. Not one bit.
Why is an avid pro market person like myself squarely aligned with the Democrats? Because I am supportive of the values around rational policy making that aims to maximize the utility of a nation’s citizens.
And by any reasonable interpretation of reality that requires govts as mandated by democratic power to have activist policies that both shape, alter, and at times, work in direct opposition to market forces.
Republicans want to cut taxes and regulation while hiding behind identity, which is a form of crass populism.
While not wanting to speak for Fawlty, I believe he is talking about the dangers of left populism, which although much more intellectual that the right, still falls down due to similar reasons. The policy solutions will appeal to the masses but ultimately be counter productive.
To be certain this is not “bothsideism”, I certainly think the far left has much more to contribute to the discussion, and in the context of where we are today, they can push things in the right direction. But the far left solution and even at times, tactics, still fall prey to ideological populism.
I think
@Jack V Savage said it well, when he said right now the culteral right wing bias was leading to really bad nonrational decision making, but that he could see a set of circumstance where the left had the same impact.
Anyway I know we won’t agree on my interpretation of the far left, but it’s not a question of expendiaency, at least not for me, so I wanted to clear that up.