Maddy wrote: ↑Tue May 22, 2018 6:45 pm
moda0306 wrote: ↑Tue May 22, 2018 4:11 pm
But while "the right" wants to talk about the "deep state" because it makes them feel rebellious and all but the sliver-sized Ron/Rand wing of the right cares anything about disassembling the perma-war surveillance state (aka, the deep state). They just want to use it in different ways than certain elements "the establishment," and of course the theater is part of the act.
This may be a reasonable portrayal if, by "the right" you mean the establishment beltway politicians that wear the "Team R" tee-shirt. But it's all too clear at this point that the Washington insiders, whether they be "Ds" or "Rs," are all playing for the same side.
If the previously inconceivable victory of Trump in the last election means anything, it stands as living proof of the fact that the vast majority of "the right" is firmly, intractably, anti-establishment.
"The right," (meaning the voters in this instance), certainly are willing to explore anti-establishment rhetoric or ideas when it fits their tribal identity in the moment. But it certainly isn't a matter of principal. As soon as someone they don't identify with starts to rock the boat, their a "militant leftist," or a commie, or whathaveyou... and this isn't just a policy preference issue.
If a "leftist" had been challenging Romney on his take that Russia is a threat, every Republican I know with the exception of one or two that are truly independent would have responded with standard Republican talking points. That's really all they do. They're not "mavericks" unless it's against a liberal.
Mind-you, I'm not saying my liberal friends are really much different at all. The ones who were anti-war in 2003-2008 were all-but-silent during Obama's years. They felt (as conservatives do now) that if they yield to the left it will weaken them against "the right," which is a far bigger threat (in their minds). And so the game goes.
There are some areas where conservatives will embrace some anti-establishment ideas more consistently, but usually they're the ones that are in no way a threat to the deep state or corporatocracy...
- Self-interested total war hawkery (Trump's idea to take all the oil out of Iraq for instance)
- Anti-anti-racism, soft-to-heavy xenophobia
- Masculinity and Christianity as cultural value drivers
- Low taxes and eliminating social welfare programs
There are probably more, but these aren't a threat to corporate profits and the plutocracy. In fact, the fact that these issues are taking up so much of our time in debate and works to divide lower-to-middle class folks along cultural lines is probably the biggest tool the plutocrats have. If poor West Virginians realized they have a ton more in common with poor Mexicans than Donald Trump or Mitt Romney, and identified themselves as such, it would be a huge threat to the plutocracy.