Quite a moment. Business elites, neocon, libertarians, etc will be open to a social democracy coalition to build a Third American Republic out of these ashes. Do not miss this opportunity.
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Unless the backlash strong enough for a new left majority to propose a return to top income tax rates above 90% and estate taxes at 77%, as the U.S. had 75 years ago.
'The individual is frightened at finding himself face to face with this terrible reality, and tries to cover it over with a curtain of fantasy, where everything is clear. It does not worry him that his “ideas” are not true, he uses them as trenches for the defense of his existence.'
Ortega y Gasset
A reborn America will only succeed if you start with a compelling vision a vast majority of Americans can get behind, regardless of their prior affiliations.
Under what conditions would they actually be open to participating in good faith in a social democracy coalition, instead of tapping the usual playbook of reluctant joiner, then cynical sabotage to leave us with the familiar half-measures that brought us here?
I presume because his profiting for pro Israel annexationism/cleansing was freezing him against fighting the nascent fascism, and also because of his naive institutionalism and refusal to believe the project 2025 and Yarvin stuff was going to be done so completely.
I suspect it's because Kristol is actually intelligent.
He was always the one RW thinker who pissed me off the most, because he actually argued logically, and you couldn't just dismiss him as an fact-free loon.
Yes! Remember this anecdote: When Illinois Gov. Adlai Stevenson was running for president in the 1950s, a supporter purportedly said to him: “Every thinking person in America will be voting for you.” Stevenson replied, “I’m afraid that won’t do — I need a majority.”
Also, people need to stop talking in absolutes. Pure capitalism means no public roads or spaces. No public fire departments. No military. No courts. No public jails. No libraries. No public schools. We already have Socialism. The only question is to what degree.
Trying to pigeonhole the realities of everyday opportunities for all has dangerous results when it is done in the abstract. It's much better to look and be close to the people it affects in the concrete.
That's the craziest thing I've ever seen Bill say. He spent years building this shitcastle and that's as close as we'll ever get to him annoying he was wrong about everything.
"if" is a doing a lot of heavy lifting in his post there in order for him to avoid having to use the historically far more accurate choice of word "when."
Jason I'm a full time unionist and I work with people who don't agree with me fully ALL the time, most of the people I work with don't even KNOW I'm a socialist, but they do know I'm their ally in our fight!
Social democracy isn't about a government-run economy. Neither is democratic socialism, in most takes. Kristol is thinking of Marxism. Nice to be reminded we're all the same to him.
Like, "free markets with a welfare state" is far closer to describing social democracy than American capitalism. If "free markets" weren't a dog whistle for lax regulations, he'd have (accidentally) come out for Warren.
For the folks insisting we have to be welcoming to people coming around on Trump, this is a good litmus test: If you're not with Bill Kristol on this, no you're not welcome. *Maybe* we'll let you sit in the back of the bus but you need to STFU and you get no say in where we're going.
Looking to Bill Kristol is not a good idea. Like so many we see, they are just riding the wave and hope we are willing to forget all the things they have said and done.
So again, we are supposed to just ignore everything he has said before? I guess I require more than the bare minimum from people who are recent "converts".
The fascist model we’re seeing looks a lot more like Italy than Germany in World War II with the marriage of corporate and state power. These tariffs and “business deals” about owning 50% of TikTok are straight out of the Evola-inflected Italian fascist corporatism in the 1930s.
It used to be in Trump's first term, people would object to my calling Trumpism fascism, because they would say, “where's the corporatism?” Well, here you go.
They're all dipshits anyway, pat them on the head and tell them "good boy" for embracing social democracy so they want to post about it more and then mute them. It's fine.
According to Jasmila Zbanic one of Rockefellers saw her newest documentary about yugoslav self management and Energoinvest and liked the idea. The vibe is shifting
I just wish this idea that government-run is synonymous with socialism would die.
The public should absolutely have a say in how companies are run. Public interests and needs should *always* be the top priority, not shareholders or capitalists.
That principle is not exclusive to social democracy. Liberalism (or neoliberalism) is just more hands-off in the way the government has its say. eg Regulations rather than ownership
This is under the logic that growth is more pro social than virtually any individual actions of a firm.
No, neoliberalism prefers growth to redistribution. In a lot of ways it can be seen as a less dogmatic form of social democracy (though of course anti-regulation dogmatism is its own problem).
The aim in both cases is a better society universally, the difference is how much intervention is needed
Neoliberalism is very dogmatic, that's a completely false characterization of it.
The great flaw of Neoliberalism is failing to understand that private equity is completely incapable of planning for long term goals. But that doesn't stop them from thinking it can.
And they forced their children to read at least one whole book (illustrations not allowed). The neocon ideology was fucked, but at least it was an ideology with any nod to internal consistency, that’s not possible for the current cohort who did not have parents that made them read.
Turns out a nonzero amount of them really did believe all of that stuff about the inherent greatness of democracy and America as shining city on the hill
I think the best system.. a BLEND.. as not all industry meant to be capitalism.. based on working sixty years and Grad School Business Mangement.. both have fits that are better... reality.
THEY WILL PAY DEARLY! UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE AND DENTAL, RAISE SOCIAL SECURITY BY 400 A MONTH. MAKE CHILD TAX CREDIT 1600 EACH PERMANENT, BILLIONAIRES MUST PAY THE COUNTRY BACK 2 TRILLION TO AVOID JAIL WITH THE REST OF THE CRIMINALS!!!
If they can't get the cooperation of the people to operate and maintain the entire supply chain as well as the materiel themselves that doesn't matter.
Toys alone do not a stable state make - no matter what the Thielites say
I believe we can and will build an improved and more just democracy from these ashes. We are Americans together. Purple unity will win the day in the end.
Though the obvious inability of some folks to start out the conversation with something other than ad hominem style internal dig will make it a very steep uphill battle. Left seems stuck in "build me up by pushing him down."
All we need are people willing to embrace an idea of politics as running a country of diverse (in every possible sense) individuals rather than as imposing an all-embracing identity on everything.
I'm sure @schumer.senate.gov is up to the challenge. 😬 PS: please stand aside Senator Schumer and let a new leader emerge who is more able and willing to meet this moment.
deal me in! I will trade possibly higher income taxes for the rule of law, a functioning and rational government, and the end of idiocracy. #denmark let's do this.
They are not even that high.
You can check the approximate tax at https://hvormegetefterskat.dk
A low paying job, DKK 20000, is taxed 30% .
Median pay, DKK 48000, is taxed 35%.
You would have to make DKK 6 mil a month to hit max tax at 54%.
For clarity, how are we numbering them? Is it the Articles of Confederation and then the 1787 constitution, or is it 1787 and then the constitution post-Reconstruction?
Electoral College was but a way for rich white plantation owners ( or their modern-day equivalents -- like Bezos ) to replace the expressed will of the people if they ever chose something besides them.
This is untrue. Natural enemies will not be building a coalition that will last more than a few seconds. Most of the people you mentioned have already expressed that their ideology is secondary. Primary is the desire to punish the people they hate.
🙏 hello god, it's me muffintop. I know I've said libertarians are braindead morons with a third grade understanding of economics, but I promise to be nice to them if they help people afford healthcare and college 🙏
A thing I know about third graders is they know about addition, and I'm willing to extend that to libertarians on a probationary basis /if/ it means more good things for once.
My man, business elites are licking their lips at the prospect of devouring the assets that working class America currently has at 2 cents on the dollar.
Libertarians were instrumental in establishing the UBI that has been operating in Alaska since 1982. Alaska does it without taxation or inflation. I think you may be surprised to see what we would accept as long as it is empowers the individual and doesn’t involve taxes, inflation, or coercion.
It is time for vision: Pleased to announce I am founding the DOGE School of Public Policy, and will be accepting crypto donations from my fellow visionaries.
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Maybe persuade them that
regulated capitalism
+ base-level living conditions for EVERYONE
-> highly stable society
==> thriving economy
Ortega y Gasset
“Begin with the end in mind.”
Covey
The conflict between the racialized sub-cultures is just starting.
ah yes, "disaster capitalism"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shock_Doctrine
Proposal: Purge the oligarchy.
Chuck's brother's job was on the line with the Paul, Weiss EO in effect!
He was crazy in the moment to do what he had to do to run interference on that!
He was always the one RW thinker who pissed me off the most, because he actually argued logically, and you couldn't just dismiss him as an fact-free loon.
Why has it taken some so long to understand that?
Like my whole life “if you and Bill Kristol are on the same side, you are wrong” has been a great maxim
Wow.
That tharr means there's a train a-comin...the American social democracy hype train! And everybody's getting on board!
https://bsky.app/profile/jkuznicki.bsky.social/post/3llwj7wipu22s
Get on the socdem train or get run over by something that might be bigger than a train
Jake do you have like, a snappy acronym or something? That'd be nifty
Give👏The👏Neocons👏Positive👏Feedback👏👏👏
The public should absolutely have a say in how companies are run. Public interests and needs should *always* be the top priority, not shareholders or capitalists.
This is under the logic that growth is more pro social than virtually any individual actions of a firm.
Neoliberals aren't keen on regulation either, they prefer tax incentives.
The aim in both cases is a better society universally, the difference is how much intervention is needed
The great flaw of Neoliberalism is failing to understand that private equity is completely incapable of planning for long term goals. But that doesn't stop them from thinking it can.
Apologies...
This shit started LONG before tRump and he championed it all.
Fuck him. He is no hero. Just another rich greed zero.
No, he's definitely not a hero.
BUT, he is a person who has changed in the last decade and started thinking in new ways and speaking out publicly.
Acknowledge the bad.
Embrace the good.
Do BOTH things, then move forward.
You’re going to purity test your way into enabling MAGA’s fascism.
We are no longer playing their game.
Charlie Brown Dems got a dose of wake the fuck up by Cory Booker.
The Wall Street Dems are basically the Republicans of the 80s.
The Progs are the actual Dems.
The Parties have switched ideologies before.
They have the money
Can you ?
Toys alone do not a stable state make - no matter what the Thielites say
And in an economic collapse 're the great depression people worked for food or starved
I assume it was an honest mistake.
You can check the approximate tax at
https://hvormegetefterskat.dk
A low paying job, DKK 20000, is taxed 30% .
Median pay, DKK 48000, is taxed 35%.
You would have to make DKK 6 mil a month to hit max tax at 54%.
For clarity, how are we numbering them? Is it the Articles of Confederation and then the 1787 constitution, or is it 1787 and then the constitution post-Reconstruction?
2nd Republic -1860-1932
3rd Republic -1932 to TBD.
For the good of the country, of course.
It is, basically, our 'original sin'.
End of Citizens United
All elections are now
State funded, no private funding, no gifts, no gratuities
No exceptions
No lobbyists allowed
14 th Amendment stands and Trump is Prosecuted
With we the people all the way every day better than yesterday and better still tomorrow.