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Only halfway done, but a good article so far. This coming from someone who is biased to skepticism toward the National Review. > Alone among the countries in t
by acjohnson55 10y ago
Only halfway done, but a good article so far. This coming from someone who is biased to skepticism toward the National Review.
> Alone among the countries in the world, it has attempted to construct not just a state of different tribes, but a nation of them — white and black, Christian and Muslim, and many others, too.
This perception of exceptionalism is amusing to me, since I'm currently sitting in South Africa.
Update: Just finished the article, and I remained impressed. Unfortunately for the author, he's probably going to have to switch parties to find an audience for his ideas. It's really, really tough to imagine the GOP being able to rebuild the bridges it has burned with minorities in the Obama era.
We're headed for a huge realignment in American politics. The GOP elite who have stuck with Trump have sealed their own fates. The Democratic elite are already courting them. But neither are doing much to appeal effectively to the poor, white or black.
It remains to be seen whether we'll see a movement that captures both, as well as grabbing some of the intelligentsia. The Sanders campaign came close, but what's needed is something on the order of a political party.
- Senji 10y ago>But neither are doing much to appeal effectively to the poor, white or black. Trump has not stopped talking about economic protectionism and the blue collar workers, job creation etc. If that's not appealing to the poor I don't know what you want.
- acjohnson55 10y agoThat's true. I phrased my point poorly. He's certainly appealing to a sense of frustration. But he's not providing actual viable solutions. Of course, mere pandering is more than the party elites are doing. They've been counting on success repackaging the same tired ideological lines that no one really cares about when they're actually losing their clout.
- pop8row9 10y agoI have a serious question: why can't bridges be rebuilt instantaneously, similar to a reset in the diplomatic sphere? If it is within the best interest of all parties involved, it can and should happen... Westphalia comes to mind. We should keep in mind that fates don't have to be sealed, that redemption is always possible. After all, the goal is peace. I like the party idea.
- acjohnson55 10y agoSure, but it would take nothing short of a revolution to do so. Like, the entire party elite, who have countenanced the slide from Gingrich to W to Palin to Bachmann to Trump would have to go, or have some sort of Saul-to-Paul conversion event. It's really difficult to imagine. Since the 60s (and especially since the 80s),the GOP has been the party of the racist. And it continues to dig itself deeper into that hole (see http://www.vox.com/2016/8/28/12682876/maine-lepage-racist-shoot http://www.vox.com/2016/8/28/12682876/maine-lepage-racist-sh..., for example).