I remember that article.

I sort of "get" Trump supporters. Well some, there are a few major strains. But amongst many people, theres definitely a sense that some people look at gov't and politics and go "fuck me? no, fuck you "

Despite personally despising Trump, seeing that empty suit Rubio obliterated in Florida certainly generated a sense of smugness in myself. Even though I rationally know that Trump getting more delegates Is A Bad Thing.

At least it looks like Kasich was able to win Ohio. For all my general lack of enthusiasm about Kasich, if I can pretend he didn't express a desire to waste another couple trillion dollars on ineffective wars, he isn't so bad. At least I think he has something of a normal, grounded personality and general level of personal competence.

Biggest disappointment of course, is Hillary. As of this typing she is up in Ohio.

The only good news, is rumblings of 3rd party conservative bid are starting. Maybe the entire current political paradigm will get shattered. If the country can make it through four years of Trump or Hillary without devolving into a de facto police state or entering WW3 (both of which are questionable) maybe, somehow, people will come to their senses.

I doubt it though. I look to the left and see the Milk Tea Party and the total irrationality of the PC types, and look right and see the Trump swamp. Oddly enough, neither are actually left or right. Only in the USA would we classify slightly different breeds of fascist as being liberal or conservative. Real liberals and conservatives such as Sanders and Paul get marginalized by a DC/NYC Establishment which in turn wonders why they get stuck with a Trump.

But then again I predicted all this many years ago.

When a country as large as the USA stops delegating meaningful matters to more local polities, and takes the bulk of governance to the Federal level, all the average person can hear is noise. Theres too much to keep track of for the average person to hope to ever do so, which lets the mainstream talking heads wield disproportionate influence. It's kind of like a cult, on a huge scale. Thats even before considering the toxic effect of wedge issues like abortion.

Whatever one thinks about abortion, any rational person should be extremely scared when they realize the enormous role abortion has played in determining fiscal and foreign policy. How could such a state of affairs possibly engender a functional, rational society? It can't.

Right now the USA is very much a 1905 Germany: Social upheaval, tribal thinking, economic uncertainty fueled by corrupt gov't and banking, and increased tendency to seek out blame against particular ethnic groups. Add in the technology of total surveillance, and things aren't looking good for civilization.

Who knows how things will end up, but I suspect it will be somewhere in the political spectrum between 1984, and Psycho Pass. (And I highly recommend everyone watch Psycho Pass, not only is it entertaining but probably prescient )

Last edited by Derid; 03/15/16 07:32 PM.
For who could be free when every other man's humour might domineer over him? - John Locke (2nd Treatise, sect 57)