Victor Davis Hanson on the progressive revolution
The reelection of Obama had convinced progressives that he had discovered electoral magic: record voter registration, turnout, and block voting of “minorities” that could overcome the old Perot, Reagan Democrat, silent majority, and tea-party dinosaurs in the critical swing states. This chemistry, they thought, would be inherently transferrable even to multimillionaire white establishmentarians like Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden (but only if they were reeducated and thus made the necessary confessionals about their own white privilege and shared disdain for “deplorables” and “the dregs of society”).
Suddenly, everything seemed possible as woke activists, à la French Revolution, accelerated the possible into the already passé…
By spring 2019, we were light years beyond the revolution’s beginning in summer 2008 — and heading into hard-socialist territory and beyond.
Indeed, the once edgy community-organizing Obama himself had become a tragicomical figure. He spent a bit of his post-presidency warning against a “circular firing squad” of Democratic cannibalism but otherwise was hell-bent on becoming worth $100 million in “I built that fashion”—and was never again heard uttering another “I do think at a certain point you’ve made enough money” sermon…
…few leftist revolutionary cycles ever halt in mid course, whether in 1789 France, 1917 Russia, 1946 China, or 1960 Cuba. The philosophy is always that today’s radical is yesterday’s sell-out to be replaced by tomorrow’s genuine far harder leftist…
Hanson’s essay is very good, as always. But I think he’s missing something. That “something” is the patience of the left, which has been working on this not just since 2008 but for a long long long long time, on many fronts and levels. Say what you will about the left, but they certainly have perseverance.
I wonder, also, whether Obama’s recent warnings are of the practical sort,—as in “Shh! Don’t show your cards; you need to be a little more sly and quiet about what you really believe and what your goals are, or you won’t get elected”—or whether he really is at least somewhat less radical than the current crop.
But yes, leftist revolutions always end up eating their own—sometimes sooner rather than later.
One must never forget the relevant adjective in Rudi Dutschke’s Gramscian “long march through the institutions.” The left’s strategy of forcing demographic transformation and encouraging civilizational suicide through control of the means of cultural production is difficult to combat.
The Leftist alliance is merely following orders. They aren’t rational self interest actors, although some of their corruptions and rapist behaviors are of self interest. Most of their strategic long term antics serves the interest of a Higher Power.
https://tarbaby.wordpress.com/2017/07/26/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/
These are plans centuries in the making, not years or decades. Far longer than most political operatives can conceive of and yet even longer than most voters have been alive.
Even the mention of the Federal Reserve provokes merely a light hearted calm reaction from the REpublican/conservative masses, who only recently found out that TRAITORS actually exist at the highest levels of US government unimpeded and unimpeached.
Most people understand Gramsci in theory but they do not understand where the actual levers of society are. They have to be told from their friends, religious priests figures, authorities, and the internet news cycle, what is going on. This is a severe disadvantage against the zombies of the Leftist alliance, who only have to fulfill war objectives by Obeying Orders.
I think the “patience” and perseverance” of the left comes from the psychology of “I am saving the world” therefore “whatever it takes to do that” factors in heavily in their planning.
“The Leftist alliance is merely following orders. They aren’t rational self interest actors, …..”
“This is a severe disadvantage against the zombies of the Leftist alliance, who only have to fulfill war objectives by Obeying Orders.”
I saw an example of this a few years ago: a leftist professor (I know..a redundant term) on my campus was talking about an upcoming local radio interview he was going to do. He stated he called some left organization in D.C. to make sure he would repeat all the correct talking points and not to go “off script”. That level of coordination and obedience with the left is something the right probably doesn’t understand about how dangerous these people really are.
OT: did you catch how Hanson’s interlocutor at NR, one David French, is now propagating paulbottery on the site? The NeverTrump residue not hustling for grants from leftoid billionaires are hustling for a fellowship at the von Mises Institute. As Nelson Rockefeller used to say, “I luhhhhv it…”
NEO: But I think he’s missing something. That “something” is the patience of the left, which has been working on this not just since 2008 but for a long long long long time, on many fronts and levels.
he isnt “missing” anything, he knows the history better than you do. he ALSO knows that you cant go there and be heard. you prove it yourself here, as i have tried.
the problem is that everyone loves the term…
Political Rhetoric: ‘Socialism’ Negative For Most Americans, ‘Progressive’ is Positive
Despite the political divides between the terms liberal and conservative, two-thirds of the public reaction to the word progressive were positive.
No one wanted to delve into the history, its a dead fish. Since VDH writes to eat and put food on the table, he wont go there as that just takes up space with stuff no one wants to read or think about (and maybe get creeped out about).
PROmote reGRESSIVE policies
while the roots go back farther, and all the way to Rome…
the main point is the end years of marx and the new millennium..
Raise your hands if you actually read Philip Dru? anyone?
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Philip_Dru:_Administrator
Not like you guys never saw the above and discussed it, right?
you see, VDH has learned no one wants to be saved, which is why such things are never prevented, and everyone walks into them. they want to be entertained, and they have been taught that learning hurts or is work, and unpaid work at that.
he writes what you want, which is why you like him
he leaves out a whole lot, so that you like him
not like anyone going to remember what he leaves out and call him on it, or not like him cause he left it out….. right? but if he put it in, then what?
You can’t cure leftists with arguments or reason or appeals to common sense and common decency. They are all like bears who have discovered garbage cans in parks: “Once a bear gets hooked on garbage, there’s no cure.”
Woodrow Wilson wrote in The State, “Government does now whatever experience permits or the times demand.”
from: The Birth of the Administrative State: Where It Came From and What It Means for Limited Government 2007
https://www.heritage.org/political-process/report/the-birth-the-administrative-state-where-it-came-and-what-it-means-limited
When Woodrow Wilson taught, he said that there was only one author other than himself who understood administration as a separate discipline: Frank Goodnow.
In a word, man is regarded now throughout Europe, contrary to the view expressed by Rousseau, as primarily a member of society and secondarily as an individual. The rights which he possesses are, it is believed, conferred upon him, not by his Creator, but rather by the society to which he belongs. What they are is to be determined by the legislative authority in view of the needs of that society. Social expediency, rather than natural right, is thus to determine the sphere of individual freedom of action. – Frank Goodnow, The American Conception of Liberty and Government (Page 11, paragraph 3) [available free as ebook]
decade after decade you learn marx, but dont learn progressive and the administrative state
and most of your complaints are within this framework of the administrative state and what it does to get more and more money and more and more power to administer your life.
It was wilson who gave us the idea of a constitution as a living document..
The trouble with the theory is that government is not a machine, but a living thing. It falls, not under the theory of the universe, but under the theory of organic life. It is accountable to Darwin, not to Newton. It is modified by its environment, necessitated by its tasks, shaped to its functions by the sheer pressure of life. No living thing can have its organs offset against each other, as checks, and live.
I am quite sure that VDH knows Wilson..
but he also knows, Wilson and progressive history dont sell
I think the “patience” and perseverance” of the left comes from the psychology of “I am saving the world” therefore “whatever it takes to do that” factors in heavily in their planning.
physicsguy: So you’re reading my mail too!
or whether he really is at least somewhat less radical than the current crop.
What does Obama actually believe in, at all?
At any time has he opposed his party, on a point of personal belief? Or has he always v
For example, he was opposed to gay marriage, right up to the time that it became a popular movement in the Left. In May 2005, he cosponsored the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act.
He doesn’t have any position at all, except “I’m the man. Look at me!”
That level of coordination and obedience with the left is something the right probably doesn’t understand about how dangerous these people really are.
physicsguy: Yes. Conservatives enjoy making fun of the left and there is much in that direction of which fun can be made.
But never underestimate the left’s determination, especially over time.
“Once a bear gets hooked on garbage, there’s no cure.”
You know GV…
I knew a guy who had sheep and said the same thing about “once a dog gets wool in his teeth…” He however did have a cure…shaped lead projectiles deposited at close range into the offending animal’s noggin. Worked every time.
He doesn’t have any position at all, except “I’m the man. Look at me!”
Chester Draws: Obama is one heap-big narcissist, true, but he is also leftist to the core. Any contradictions are matters of strategy, tactics and timing.
Right now he is chiding the current Democratic candidates. He’s not saying “Look at me!” He’s saying, we’ve got a movement and we’ve got to win.
“One of the things I do worry about sometimes among progressives in the United States,” he said, “maybe it’s true here as well, is a certain kind of rigidity where we say, ‘Uh, I’m sorry, this is how it’s going to be’ and then we start sometimes creating what’s called a ‘circular firing squad’, where you start shooting at your allies because one of them has strayed from purity on the issues.
“And when that happens, typically the overall effort and movement weakens.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/apr/06/barack-obama-progressives-circular-firing-squad-democrats
Neo is spot on about the patience of the Left. They never quit. Obama has said that he is big believer in patience. For years, incrementalism was their mode of operation. Now it is all about bold moves. Trump drove them to it.
There are few political impasses that can not be resolved with the application of SJHP at 1,000+ feet per second. Some people did something, like murder 2,900 plus people. But oh well. Let’s go back to the good old days when leftists were bombing buildings and assassinating LEOs. Fools, their dreams will become nightmares.
Right now, I think the philosophical arguments of the left are secondary. Bernie is appealing to kids with delinquent student loans and worthless degrees. They want free stuff, like daddy provided, and the reasons are irrelavant. The professors who want to think about Utopia maybe interested but they are not going to convince many.
“…few leftist revolutionary cycles ever halt in mid course, whether in 1789 France, 1917 Russia, 1946 China, or 1960 Cuba. The philosophy is always that today’s radical is yesterday’s sell-out to be replaced by tomorrow’s genuine far harder leftist…”
Ever wonder why the American Revolution of 1776 didn’t go the same route?
Oh yeah…it wasn’t “leftist.”
Of course, the ideology of tyranny was not known by that name at the time, but the principles stay the same even if the label changes (and changes and changes…).
Artfldgr nails it: “PROmote reGRESSIVE policies”
Obama has made a pile and has enough he now wants to protect that he moves a little toward the conservative side.
What happens to the wealth of an an Obama, Gore, Clinton… if leftists do win. Given their nature they will not reward past rulers, they will devour current wealth among those with current power.
What is the end game for wealthy rubes propping up a philosophy the will flat them?
I’d love you to explore that in more depth.
Their patience AND their “consistency”, with whatever is currently Politically Correct, comes from their desire to have and maintain moral superiority. Not merely “saving the world”, but actually being better people than those who are not PC.
Can it be reversed? Certainly won’t be easy, but more have to agree that it’s a problem.
We need to have gov’t stop funding most colleges, who have been discriminating against Reps and pro-life people.
We need to insist on free people having free speech, including calling other people’s behavior sinful. And living in peaceful co-existence with sinners, when the sin is not illegal, like adultery and homosexuality. Tho we need justice based punishment for those crimes that are illegal, like pedophilia. And free speech means all are free to call others sinners, or to say some behavior should not be illegal.
Dems are becoming against freedom, and need to be opposed. The college system of indoctrination must be changed. That might not be sufficient, but it is certainly necessary.
“…the practical sort…”
Indeed, Mr. Practicality, himself….
https://twitter.com/FriendlyJMC/status/1118266482109157381
I rest my case…
🙂
The left does, indeed, exhibit extreme perseverance in their campaigns. They also exhibit extreme ideological discipline, unlike Republicans who are all over the map on their policies. If Republicans could develop equivalent discipline and present a united front to liberalism, perhaps there would be a genuine conversation going on in Congress, for example. As it is, why should Democrats bother entering into any kind of dialogue with Republicans? It would only take time away from their continuing domination of the news cycle.
Thinking about the symbolic meaning of Notre Dame burning, about the state of today’s Catholic church, and the widespread and baleful effects of Gramsci’s Long March through our institutions/culture, if you read anything here today, read this:
https://pjmedia.com/richardfernandez/the-three-colors-of-martyrdom/
Bernie is appealing to kids with delinquent student loans and worthless degrees.
Sallie Mae’s charge-off rates are somewhat higher than the mean charge-off rates on the consumer loan portfolios of domestically-chartered commercial banks. OTOH, the delinquency rates on Sallie Mae loans are quite a bit lower.
About 70% of the baccalaureate degrees awarded in 2016 were so in occupational subjects, natural sciences, or mathematics / statistics. (And some of the remainder were in economics, in the vocational wing of communications, in the natural science wing of psychology, &c). There are a lot more people than there used to be with degrees which do not indicate much in the way of acquired skills and do not provide much of a general signal to employers, but they’re perhaps 10-15% of the young adult population. Bernie may collar this constituency, but it’s not putting him over the finish line.
Snow, I have been curious about Benedict’s “retirement” since it occurred. I think he was forced out by this:
Benedict recalls that “in various seminaries homosexual cliques were established” which brought not just new sexual mores but a deliberate new form of transgressive behavior. To Benedict it seemed as if his Church was under deliberate attack.
It was a coup, a little bit like the Trump “collusion” coup.
I don’t know what is in the air, but here is another profound and very timely analysis that just showed up today at https://pjmedia.com/spengler/father-james-v-schall-s-j-1928-2019-a-great-conservative-thinker/
Then, there is this analysis today, with some depth, from a totally unexpected source–
See https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/273524/notre-dame-fire-our-fault-our-most-grievous-fault-milo-yiannopoulos
It seems as if this fire at Notre Dame has been the catalyst for a lot of worthwhile thought and reflection.
Mike K on April 19, 2019 – Mike, read about Bella Dodd who testified about people she put into the catholic church…
Whether or not that means anything has never been explored, but mostly assumed… however, given they shot the pope, assumptions lean towards one side more than others. Also the fact that it doesn’t take many rotten apples to spoil a whole barrel of good ones…
A changer Neo never discusses like Mamet..
Despite her interesting and twisted history and confirmed internal positions…
I can’t tell you to what degree such has an effect, but note that Judaeo Christianity has been singled out from Marxist view as cultures that have ideas different than Marxists, and a culture that endures them for over two millennia .. Marx isn’t even 200 years old let alone more than 2000..
Russia has a long history of targeting the catholic church for this and other reasons heaving to do with their stands and oppositions during WWII… (if they were what the left says, the left might have won, not lost, so they arent – even more so if you read the details. however today, who knows?)
such would be to put entryists a la Trotsky, favor them in court outside building outrage over favoritism, constant focusing on the foibles of man as the foibles of religion (if it were religious foibles how could it lift man up as it has done?)..
if ya gonna read about her and such, be careful that assumptions dont become beliefs or truths, as they are nothings that feel real… conclusions from evidence is more real, but you have to accept the holes and in being aware of that, have limits
though preponderance does have its place too…
[you don’t have to unveil every tunnel termites make to know you have them and have to treat everything]