Progressives were supposed to unconditionally surrender on policy (yet we're supposed to focus on better governance), we were supposed to ignore the threats to vulnerable communities that Trump posed (threats even sharper now), and we were supposed to suck up even more to tech oligarchs. - ThreadSky

paulcrider.liberalcurrents.com • 8 days ago

Progressives were supposed to unconditionally surrender on policy (yet we're supposed to focus on better governance), we were supposed to ignore the threats to vulnerable communities that Trump posed (threats even sharper now), and we were supposed to suck up even more to tech oligarchs.

Reposted from Adam Gurri

Very disappointed by this essay from Brink Lindsey, whose work I normally respect. The guy disappears for months to turn previous writing into a book collection, and then returns just to give us another helping of "the left didn't do a popular front correctly"? open.substack.com/pub/brinklin...

Comments

bsexton.bsky.social•8 days ago

Lots of folks love to punch left in this "democracy."

bquittman.bsky.social•8 days ago

Wow….another person who hallucinated a Democratic Party embrace of progressive values that never occurred. Fuck this guy.

paulcrider.liberalcurrents.com•8 days ago

During the first Trump term, anti-trans policies were political losers. And Trump's anti-immigrant policies were unpopular. Does Lindsey really think the answer to fascist assaults on the most vulnerable is to sacrifice the targeted? What's next, abandon racial integration as far left lunacy?

petergratton.bsky.social•8 days ago

And as you suggest—what good is an “open society” if it’s not, you know, an open one?

petergratton.bsky.social•8 days ago

The “whole”—oh right. You only get there if you cast almost every Dem politician. And once you do, then what are we doing here?

petergratton.bsky.social•8 days ago

A real and complex take wld take on how, to borrow Popper’s book title, the open society makes ample room for its enemies, thus producing an autoimmune threat—a real and difficult problem. But easier to blame 2020 slogans (use by, for me, too few!) for a 2024 loss.

victorerikray.bsky.social•8 days ago

I feel like I've read this column from different authors 1,000 times at this point. It hasn't gotten any better or more convincing.

paulcrider.liberalcurrents.com•8 days ago

Yeah, I'm just taking this one personally, because Brink has to now mostly resisted the siren call of reactionary centrism.

victorerikray.bsky.social•8 days ago

sorry to see another one fall

paulcrider.liberalcurrents.com•8 days ago

This is abuser logic. Why did Dems make tech oligarchs hurt us? Silicon Valley pushed greenhouse gas-gushing crypto scams and AI boondoggles because they've run out of useful ideas. If we were always at the mercy of fragile VC egos, maybe we were right to want to limit their power? Just consider.

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