Rainbow Neoliberalism vs. ???
Rainbow Neoliberalism vs. ???
Power goes Mask Off. The Dems have been Subsumed. The GOP must Adapt or Die.
Perhaps no trend has been more interesting (and disturbing) than the coalescence of Neoliberal Power in the Democratic party. After kneecapping Bernie in the primaries, which should have been a warning sign to all who watched, Biden has accumulated every neoliberal ghoul from the Obama and Bush administrations and appears to be creating a disturbing Voltron of war criminals and petty tyrants. How absolutely wonderful.
I am not here to dunk on the leftoids who decided that supporting Biden in the face of the “fascist” (lol) threat of Trump was the right choice. These people are idiots and plenty of others on Twitter have already dunked on them in more amusing and interesting ways.
No, what I wish to do here is point out that with the Dems having been completely subsumed by Neoliberal capital, it is time for the GOP to adapt or die. The Bush and Romney Republicans are Democrats now. Build a new coalition, or die.
There are multiple ways to do this. I will be delving into more depth on a number of policy proposals over the coming weeks, months, etc. For now, let’s discuss some guiding principles.
No More Corporate Bootlickers
Besides the fact that a “free market” does not exist (and that the ideas underlying them came from a failed philosophy), the lolbertarian wing of the GOP must be excised once and for all. They are overrepresented compared to their actual numbers, and they cause vastly more harm than good.
Bear something in mind: When people hear the term “capitalism”, they are (largely) not going to give you a quote from Smith or Marx or Rothbard on what capitalism is. They are going to give you a vague definition of things that sound nice. If you oppose capitalism, you have committed political suicide. There will be no room in any winning movement for “anti-capitalists”, because regardless of your actual policies, that label is the equivalent of committing seppuku on national television.
Ditch the labels, or claim in the face of all criticism that you really are capitalist (like how the lie of Trump being “fascist” still exists). Focus on policies, not labels.
In the end, the lolbertarians exist as nothing more than corporate bootlickers. They must be excised from the party. Either the GOP ditches the lolbertarians, or they will die. Either way, they will deserve their fate. In the face of this, if you want a winning slogan:
“No longer will our lives be dominated by eggs-in-suits in D.C., or NYC, or SF, or anywhere else. We will not be slaves to algorithms that determine what we see, what we hear, who we meet, and what we are even allowed to say.”
Something along those lines. You have to appeal to the values of people who support “small government” even if you wish to shift their ideology. I fear that far too many “post-liberal thinkers” become extremely academic in their language and proposals, and end up alienating people. I have discussed the problems with “I just want to grill” conservatives before, but this is neither the time nor place to plunge them headfirst into a world of academic jargon.
Break Barriers. Be Genuinely Radical.
I don’t know about you, but it is high time to call out the Democrats for being the party of aesthetic change, with no substantive change at all.
Forgive me for laughing. As if a woman being in charge of the Pentagon somehow “breaks barriers.”
“Yes sweetie! Even as a girl, one day, you could be commanding America’s military to commit war crimes in the Middle East! Oh yes you could!”
Truly barrier breaking. Understand something:
The Elite will never substantively change their positions. They will simply offer aesthetic change in order to placate ethnonarcissists. There is no difference between a man or a woman leading the Pentagon, besides that the latter will be toasted at brunch by upper middle class white people who would have bought their way out of a draft a century ago.
Breaking barriers isn’t bad, but they have to be ACTUAL barriers. Trump’s 2016 win was as much a cry out for change/a rejection of 50 years of neoliberal rule as it was a vote for a brash New Yorker. The single best video I’ve ever seen on the 2016 election was done by Jonathan Pie, a UK journalist/comedian in the vein of Stewart, Oliver, etc. Except he’s on YouTube and is more of a contrarian. If you haven’t watched it yet, I highly suggest you do:
The people are crying out for change. This will continue. It is time to embrace that radicalism and build a new GOP that presents a meaningful challenge to the Democrats. Because the Left is absolutely worthless.
So Now What?
It is time for the GOP to remember they are the party of Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt. It is time to preach localism and oppose Big Business as much as the State. There are ways to present policy proposals here that are meaningful. An example I will be addressing soon on this newsletter:
If a company fires (or otherwise lets go/loses/forces to retire/etc) 5% of their workforce during any 12 month period, they are not allowed to engage in any stock buybacks or cash dividends for the next 12 months.
It’s fairly easy to track and enforce and it supports labor over the interests of the elite.
Turning social media networks into utilities in defense of free speech is another key proposal but that has already been discussed to death.
There needs to be expansive visions of policies that make sense and actually help the people of Middle America, explained and propagated by people with genuine charisma. Trumpism without Trump only exists so long as the flame-bearers are inspiring.
As I transition to more policy pieces and proposals, I look forward to continued feedback. Hope you all will continue with me on this journey.