Much of the Left has a tribal identity that is the most meaningful aspect of their lives. I don't think they can, without great psychic sacrifice, see what they have become.
Well put. I used to buy some of this stuff, would've called myself 'liberal.' Then I lived in Korea for 14 yrs, proceeding to come back home to the US at peak woke, which triggered the type of spiritual crisis that could usher in real clarity about the state of things in the US. It's like scales being removed from the eyes. It is painful, and I think most people avoid it at all costs.
It's really an interesting topic - how one goes from Left to Right. We all have different tales to tell. Sasha has chronicled hers well. For me, it was when my girlfriend told me she was pregnant. In an instant, I knew this wasn't about choice, it was about our decision whether another human should live or die. It was an epiphany or, as you say, the scales fall from your eyes. I don't think we can make this happen en masse, it has to happen on a personal level.
Both are tribal, nasty and use names like you just described to ridicule and name call the other side to avoid talking to them like human beings and I admit I do that as well when i get pushed into these debates and you dont respect my point.
Really? I get the impression from that statement that you're unfamiliar with the concepts and results of Marxist ideology. Nothing about Trump indicates he is an unwitting subscriber of Nazi ideology. But Marxism is all about establishing oppressor/oppressed and using whatever tools will advance that belief. Progressives are Marxist inspired. Over time, I have gotten the impression you are determined to play both sides (disingenuously) while very obviously taking one of them.
You're not paying attention or you to appreciate Marx, the denial has been going on for decades. The depression era gave lots of people, desperate for solutions, the lack of knowledge of what it was doing in Soviet Russia was broadly unknown so some saw it as a solution. The by the late 40s the Soviet reality was better known and Mao was making his move. As of today Communism has claimed more than 100 million lives and untold more lived it's misery. There's no legitimate way the wasted philosophy should be anything more than a historical foot note but it's incredibly popular. The Democratic Socialists occupy seats in our Congress and 58% of 30 and under think it's worth a shot, this's in America. Thank Education for not educating. Have you not seen one Turning Point debate on one of our college campuses? Virtually all that come well prepared in Marxism but I'll concede that they're probably unaware as well, but it's what they've been taught. YOU Sir have some observations to catch up on. The current front runner for Mayor is a Happy Marxist, AOC, Ilhan Omar and the rest of the Squad, approve of Marxism. Because of people blind like you, it's spread here in the land of Liberty.
One has an extremist/authoritarian ideology, and the other does not. The Far Left has taken over the Demo Party. The Far Right (KKK, Neo-Nazi) remains fringe.
The far left has shit over the real power in the democrat party the corporation section. All that you see is smoke and mirrors please learn to look inside not at the magic show being presented.
The American Founders were adamant that we should not engage in foreign wars because they saw first hand how it destroyed much of the European nations; yet the GOP and Dems, both run by Neocons, fund trillions in foreign wars in Europe and Middle East over decades. The Democrats and the Republicans are far more similar in their hypocrisy than they are different in their implementation of critical decisions like trillions in debt, foreign entanglements and military.
Not really. I am essentially the same person I was 40 years ago and my beliefs have not changed in any material respect. I do not identify with any particular brand of Republicanism or conservatism and my sense of self-identity is not determined by affiliation with any group. Indeed, I do not expect affirmation or fear rejection based on my political leanings.
I do not think most liberals can say the same. Certainly the liberals I know well have trouble being in the least way broad minded.
Most people do not share that. From Sasha to Matt Tabbi they are very oriented to one party ideology even if they wont admit it my biggest pet pieve is they use "independent" as a word to attract people when they are clearly rooting for one party to succeed and one to fail.
I am desperately rooting for the Democrats to fail. A bigger bunch of racist bigots has rarely walked the Earth. But the fact that I want them to fail does not mean that I identify with the Right. It just means I hate hypocrites that are trying to impose an Orwellian state.
The United States of America was founded as a Constitutional Republic, not a Democracy, of which the founders were well aware that pure Democracy was nothing more than Mob Rule which was extremely evident from 2021 to 2025 and from 2008 to 2017. Some of the people here are conflating Liberal with Leftist. I would like to consider myself a Liberal, I take in the facts then decide, in fact I may waste a lot of time finding the truth of a matter because in the end, that is what matters. The DNC is using ever trick in the Marx/Alinsky book to grab power permanently, I've been a California resident for 71 years, I've seen the change. Very, very dear friends were Democrats and we would disagree but never break our bond. In the end, most of them re-registered because the DNC had left them behind. HL3, you need to sharpen up.
Both parties have pushed that narrative its a democracy . God both parties of tons of idiots like you who keep pushing one side is pure evil and their side is right. Fuck off both sides.
Perhaps both "parties" are "tribal" as you say, but that does not mean that individuals of particular philosophical persuasions are tribal or in lock-step. I went independent because of what you observe. I try to stay true to the principles of our country's founding.
Every so-called interest group that the Democrats embrace is a "victim" of American society, according to the Democrats.
Having written off the white vote under Obama, and the working class vote under Kamala, their one great hope was to get all their oppressed groups together, to form a coalition.
Every one of their groups, or tribes, has forced party "purity" within the Democrat coalition. So no matter how outrageous or radical their demands, you had better follow the party platform. Dissent is not tolerated!
Exactly. This has been what is pushing them farther and farther away from the interests of most Americans. The most radical of the groups/ tribes are the ones making the most demands of the party. And if you question it, you're OUT.
The protests of Trump have come from the farthest Left of the party, and they have shown everyone else, as to what their real goal is--power. Loss after loss, in the area of public perception. But, do they ever think to recalibrate their opposition, and really examine what they are protesting? Nope. Therefore, they are painting themselves into a corner. They have become pro-illegal immigration, pro-criminal, pro transgender mutilation of children, on and on...
Picking the 20% side of an 8020 coalition, is not a winning strategy. Get your popcorn out 😂
How long before there is a serious break, between the far-Left Progressive Socialist Communist faction, and the more moderate Liberal Democrats? 🤔
Yes. Instead of actually looking at the situation, and asking themselves what they could do better… or are they representing themselves, their party, and their policies well…
They doubled down and triple down.
I'm a big firm believer in, if somebody is an idiot, I mean total idiot, you let them speak and expose themselves for what they are…
Throw them a shovel and tell them to keep digging!
Spot on, A. Anytime you are in a group of Dems/Leftist, dissent from the anti-MAGA line is quickly punished, and assent is expected/demanded.... Silence is regarded (rightfully so, it must be noted) as disagreement, and is viewed with suspicion.
And I'm fascinated by the fact that in these Dem/Leftist groups, there is a competition to see who is the most vehemently anti-Trump, i.e., who is the most fanatic cult member... Really really weird...
Identity has become such a large part of the Democrat platform, that it is causing their groups to start turning on each other occasionally, because of the contradictions in their "beliefs" as a party.
Rather than supporting policies that treat everyone equally, they have bent over backwards to be Santa Claus to every one of their little tribes, every interest group that they have in their coalition.
Therefore the loudest voices get the most attention. Those on the far Left, the most Progressive, turn their demands into official policy.
So, at some point, the Democrats became more of an advocacy group of every so-called "oppressed" tribe, and neglected the needs of large segments of the population.
Hence, that is why we are seeing more moderate Democrats leave the party, because the Democrats no longer represent them.
Identity but also just raw emotion. No one on the right or even centrists lose it like the Left. Witness the goofball in DC throwing his sub sandwich. On the Left, seems no need to introspect.
agreed. Perfect example, one of thousands that can be easily found:
- Michigan State Professor REQUIRED students to "join" her "Rebellion.com" org for $99
- teaching a class required for graduation
- Dr. Amy Wisner stated in a now-deleted Facebook post that the organization was a “safe place to coordinate our efforts to burn everything to the fucking ground”
- Her official syllabus called the group 'a global social learning community,'
- this went on for years until someone discovered the funds were actually going to:
____a) Planned Parenthood, and
____b) buying herself a "Rebellion RV" to tour the country going to protests
Actually, per Robert Hare, the creator of the Pschopathy Checklist, it's 4% of the general population. And right now, they are an extremely vocal population. It's like "Invasion of the Body Snatchers." They are making themselves undeniably visible where before, they were just coasting under the radar.
there isn,t. I gave some information in my reply to him. The Russia / Ukraine issue was brewing since 2014 and was a direct result of Biden resurrecting Obama's policy of wanting to get Ukraine in NATO, as a follow up to Obama's coup in the Ukraine in 2014. Nobody is starting a massive war in Europe because Trudeau couldnt handle a vaccine mandate protest by truckers and supporters and needed a distraction from bad press. I am very anti Trudeau and am in alignment with a lot of his detractors, but some of these types tie everything to him and won't let that bone go. He was absolutely incompetent, but he was not significant enough to do much on a world level, especially calling power broker leaders for a favor.
lol.. no Justin did not have the pull to or have enough world leaders give a rip bout him to get an entire war started so he wouldn't get bad press over dealing with a protest. I am sure we share many things in common about our opinions of him and how he handled the trucker convoy, but your hypothetical is way out of there. The situation with Russia/Ukraine was building for a decade since Obama engineered a coup in the Ukraine to get in a US friendly government in order to break their word and get Ukraine into NATO so they could build large number of troops on the Russian border. Putin immediately annexed Crimea and put troops in the far eastern region of Ukraine to try to buffer himself from that. When Biden came to power he resurrected the push to get Ukraine in Nato (Trump didn;'t support that), and the war began. Just wanted to give you some historical perspective.
We knew in the 1960s that Russia wouldn’t tolerate missiles so close to Moscow that they had no chance of shooting them down. Back then, 60?years ago!, we had to remove ours from Turkey so that they would remove theirs from Cuba. Dr Strangelove still relevant today, 60 years later. Some days I’m embarrassed for Homo Saipans.
While reading your latest personal reflection, I thought about Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, possibly still sitting across a table and perhaps being aware of being two of the most demonised people in the world in terms of what has been projected upon them by both so-called elites and also everyday people bombarded with propaganda by the hacks of various mainstream media organisations and by self-righteous bureaucrats full of conviction that they know more about what is needed to "save the world" than do the men and women trying to survive and help their families to survive the chaos and struggle they endure daily inflicted upon them by their so called "betters" who delusionally believe that they are really qualified to be the "elite". I just hope that somewhere in the middle of it all these two "apex leaders" have some moments of humor and mutual empathy as to the similarities of the situations they are in. Both of them have massive numbers of people who want to see them "crash and burn" - mainly from these loathsome "elites" that want to maintain control. May the results of their meeting be substantive for both sides, but also as outstanding as the most dramatic "kayfabe" fight between the two greatest WWF finalists. Because God knows the world needs the nearest thing possible to some sort of "win-win" solution to this mess.
I also thought about this as we await this Alaska meeting. It’s so incredibly obvious that Russia has merely been a tool for the DS- in one moment, Hillary is holding a “reset” prop and Obama is humiliating Romney (“The 80’s are calling…”) and the next , Putin is the devil and Trump is one of his minions.
Trump and Putin truly have the opportunity to drive a dagger into the heart of the DS by bringing a peace deal and forge a new path for a better world. That common ground of vilification could form the basis for a powerful alliance- though “trust but verify” would have to drive it. Putin is former KGB afterall.
That today is the Solemnity of the Assumption is huge. Anyone who understands what happened at Fatima understands the significance of this.
Holy Mother of God, pray for us. Be with these men today.
Indeed! Really liked the group Rosary on the feast of the Assumption. Great songs to Mary today too at Mass. thanks for the reminder about Fatima and note, Granny.
Putin kills his political enemies, controls all three branches of their fake republic, and skims billions off the oligarchs he controls with fear. Not sure he’s quite a role model.
And are we any different? JFK was assassinated by the Deep State. All three branches of our own government are habitually corrupted by the IC. And Biden and his cronies from the Deep State skimmed billions from USAID and Ukraine, and no doubt countless of other places.
Unfortunately , I've just realized over the past decade how corrupt and debased our own government is, and how most voters live in a idealized fantasy world where they think what they do has any impact on what our leaders do. Forever wars, failures at "spreading democracy?"
I've come to the conclusion that a government run by narcissistic psychopathic pedophiles who rig every election they can and who want to disarm us for their own protection may not be the ideal system.
Hes not a role model. He is a bad dude. But you know what? Working with him, ending the war, giving him some concessions so he can save face with his people, and deepening trade ties with Russia is heck of a lot better than the path things are on. (perpetual war and Russia getting closer to China).
Totally agree. He won’t be around much longer. We can’t cow him, he has a $2Bil gold dacha-fortress on a cliff overlooking the Black Sea, all he can fear is his legacy as a loser. Let him reunite a sliver of Russian Ukraine, force he and Zelensky into an Ukraine favorable trade relationship and a mutual non-aggression pact and let them repair their nations and move on.
"By means of ever more effective methods of mind-manipulation, the democracies will change their nature; the quaint old forms - elections, parliaments, Supreme Courts and all the rest - will remain.
The underlying substance will be a new kind of totalitarianism. All the traditional names, all the hallowed slogans will remain exactly what they were in the good old days. Democracy and freedom will be the theme of every broadcast and editorial. Meanwhile the ruling oligarchy and its highly trained elite of soldiers, policemen, thought-manufacturers and mind-manipulators will quietly run the show as they see fit."
Another good one, Sasha. I’d argue that they didn’t “turn into” who they are. They were always that way. Bill Clinton? Corruption all the way down. Hillary’s sociopathy was obvious. Obama was a “rules for radicals” acolyte, a supposedly smooth and plausible door to usher in all that - and, while I never found him either, obviously many did. And he did try to usher it in.
Way back when Obamacare was being debated, I had legitimate concerns (that badly turned out to be too mild - the reality is much worse). I used to post things sometimes on Facebook. A high school friend sent me a long private message that she was unfriending me because of my obvious racism - my first real experience with someone totally ignoring facts and history in the cult of personality. Mind you, I’d already been working in Uganda for years where only 3% of people are white. Working with Ugandans, not white-savioring. But no, I was a racist, she couldn’t possibly be friends with someone Iike me, the end. I sent her a long message back, and unfriended her once she’d read it. With what I know now about the left, she didn’t read it or believe any of it, but I said my piece.
The problem for them now is that an increasingly shrinking minority of ever more loudly shrieking crazy people (yes esp white women and all the trantifa types) are certifiable. Others are waking up everywhere, looking around and remembering a world that used to exist and thinking maybe they prefer it. They will get violent because they are crazy, in the purest definition of the word. But they only push more people to the right as they do, and hopefully we will once again embrace mental health and hospitals and treatment over whatever has been happening for the past 35 years. If we can find un-woke therapists I guess.
In my own life here in the South, I have to say that things feel normal again. I’m grateful.
I saw this on Facebook in the years before Trump and among people I knew in meatspace. So yes they were always this way or at least on the road to it. It got ratcheted up as Sasha said. The thing about ratchets is you can't go back.
Consider what almost happened to our country — Hillary Clinton winning in 2016.
With all these insane bums and their protégés protecting her for 8-years.
Imagine Schiff as D/CIA.
Imagine the Supreme Court today with her selecting four Progressive justices during her reign as the Crazy Queen.
Trump deserves to be on Mt. Rushmore simply because he stopped Hillary Clinton in 2016 —for destroying a comatose Biden in the 2024 debate — for stopping Kamala Harris in November 2024.
Just imagine the Woke being in charge of everything without Trump giving almost everything to stop them.
Imagine our country suffering another four years of an open border under Harris.
It is not over yet. We had better hope that JD Vance will defeat Hunter Biden in 2028, or else President Hunter Biden will bring in a hundred million or more foreigners, including all the Palestinians to permanently change the country. Trump picked Vance as his successor, and I think he made an excellent pick.
It takes guts to walk away from one’s tribe. And great fortitude to bear with the loneliness and isolation. But I know no one who has done so who regrets it.
Problem is: pathological Narcissism alone is just a part of Cluster B personality disorder. Can’t institutionalize anyone not floridly psychotic. And “a danger to self or others”.
I grew up in a Cluster B home and it did feel schizophrenic at times, although fortunately I escaped with only a trauma disorder (treated). When every attempt at addressing the lies and manipulation is "that never happened and you're crazy" you start to actually feel crazy. Like you can't trust your own sense of what just happened. If you submit and enmesh the mentally ill person literally writes your reality for you and you lose contact with any sense making of your own. It's hard to explain to people who haven't lived it.
I escaped co-dependency, and instead became hyper independent. Figured I would just be on my own and take care of things myself considering my history of depending on other people didn't work out for me that well. Did that until my late 20s when I realized I was lonely and had trust issues and needed to let people in. Met my now husband shortly after. Great guy. Married 17 years. Two kids.
Happy for you Jen:) I lived the experience in a 21 year marriage which I left when I got clarity. I’m also a clinical social worker, now retired. I once told my clients in “our” situation: “If you feel crazy in this crazy situation, you’re more than sane”. At 67, married a great guy who understands the dynamic from his family of origin. We are going on 7 years now with 10 grandkids between us and having the Best and greatest time of our lives.!
So there is hope out there for anyone who can face the terrible truth and walk away… and keep walking.
I don’t think many on the left will change. I do also think that many of these people will be mentally and emotionally damaged for the rest of their lives. They are terminally conflicted. They are so deeply immersed in their ideology that to realize that they have been largely or totally wrong on all their deeply held political beliefs would cause a deeply scaring break in their own identity and psychology. It’s like forever trying to convince yourself that 2 + 2 equals 5. Logically they know it’s wrong but they cannot come around to accepting that it’s wrong. You can see that 2+2 is 4 but you just can’t come around to fully accepting that. It’s sad but I don’t sympathize. I have not forgotten their hatred and how far they would go to destroy others who simply believed differently. They were frequently violent. They hurt peoples livelihood. It’s justice that they are trapped in a Hell that they cannot escape. They created the Hell and their hatred got them there. Enjoy.
I think that still there are others like Sasha that will turn to facts. Some personal event starts the process. Sasha said that the death of her father was just the beginning but it was a start.
Sasha, Incredible piece. You weave together historical context, cultural references and political analysis in a beautiful tapestry of a narrative podcast punctuated with documentary video evidence of the insanity of our times. It is always a joy to see your wonderful work. Thank you.
How many Sashas have made the journey to the normal world of more common sense and open mindedness? Why haven't more white women who are well.read and college educated? Or was their "education" the problem? I see and hear about such women all the time. Within their own groups they seem nice enough but once the dreaded name is mentioned the vibe shifts and not in a positive or pleasant manner. The hatred is palpable. And the worst of it is that the hate is also directed at any other woman who does not bend the knee and show they too have the hate bug.
Sasha observations regarding Obama and Hillary are spot on. What has either accomplished in life outside of divisive politics that has allowed them to become powerful and rich( Hillary of course needed bill for both). Does either possess the traits or values we associate with "selflessness" or " humanity"? Yet they are revered by millions especially liberal white women ( bill was too of course including offers to play the role of Monica to thank bill for his abortion stance: all the while closing eyes to his extreme misogyny).
I generally don't care that mu h about retribution but now that we are learning (slowly) about the cabal of Obama,Hillary, Comey et al , it is essential that tens of millions of Americans learn what they did and attempted to do. Whether they go to.jail is beside the point. The TRUTH needs to be known and every single excuse maker ir deflector needs to be put on the hot seat so they are NEVER AGAIN TRUSTED OR TREATED WITH RESPECT . Until then the Sashas and Taibbis and Julie Kellys need to keep the info flowing and banging the drums of transparency and full disclosure
Nothing breeds contempt and hatred like self-righteousness. Admitting that you were wrong or duped is difficult enough in a vacuum but when your relationships and livelihood depend on it it becomes a matter of survival—self-righteousness is no longer the guardian of ego but the defender of existential threat. This is today’s Democratic Party. They are under existential threat, done in by their own self righteousness. They have nothing else to offer.
This is classic narcissism Split others into good and bad and create an alternate reality where you are always superior and correct. Whatever it takes.
Agreed, with the caveat that these people did what they could to harm you. They made it defacto legal to chase you out of restaurants for wearing a hat, censored your speech, tried to woo your children into their twisted delusions.
You are entirely justified in taking it out of their hides.
It’s not just acting normal. It’s remembering to humor the Democrats too even though much of what they spew is pure hatred towards us on the normal side. We need to remember that they are humans too; give them the benefit of the doubt the way Sasha gave MAGA the benefit of the doubt. This has been hard for me too, but I try to think about how exhausting their view of the world must be; how tiresome it is to think that everyone is out to get them; how fatiguing it is to be that paranoid to believe that the world is one giant oppressor. I feel very sorry for them and I hope that one day they are able to see the truth or at least want to try to.
Um, no. When you think there'll be some greater reward for turning the other cheek to these people or that they are deserving of your pity, that's what they're counting on. Avoiding accountability. Never experiencing the full consequences for their aggressions. Always hitting you harder than you're willing to hit them back.
No, thanks. I'd rather have a full measure of revenge, now, if it's all the same to you.
I refuse to subscribe to the, "We need to be better than them.", line of thinking. Where I come from, playing by the exact same set of rules that your opponent plays by is usually referred to as "fair".
This post really spoke to me. Like you, I was a former Democrat. Like you, I voted for Hillary. I remember telling myself that my dead Mom would be proud of me for helping to elect the first female President as I walked out of the polling location. This delusion that we were the good people was strong. It was baked into us. It was baked into the national messaging. The media. The movies. Everywhere. Democrats = Good People. Anyone else = Racist crazies.
I used to let Democrat candidates put their signs on my lawn. I didn't even do research into them and what they stood for. They were the good people. Sure, use my property to advertise your name as cars whiz by.
And I had my reckoning. As I've said before, I work in the film industry. I don't tell this story often, but in 2019, I was looking to sign with a new manager. A friend put me in touch with one of the best in the business. He took my call. We had a nice chat. He asked me to send my new script for them to read since he sparked to it. This was on a Friday. He said he'd get back to me by Monday -- which is rare in Hollywood.
On Monday, I got the call from his offices -- it's a big management company (Sasha would know the name instantly) -- not a one-man show -- on the other end of the phone was a woman from the company. She said, "We just wanted to give you a call to let you know we were passing on you as a client." Getting a call to get this kind of response is not normal -- they usually either ghost you or you get a short email saying this.
Since I had her on the phone, I asked her why. She quickly spat out, "I was offended by your script." I asked her what the manager I spoke with (her boss) thought and she told me, "I'm the one who read it. I asked him if I could call you to tell you this."
I was flustered and didn't know what to say and just said, "Ok, thank you." and hung up the phone.
I told my wife. She couldn't believe it. My screenplay was a supernatural comedy akin to Ghostbusters. It wasn't political. It fit in the Seth Rogen/Apatow world of comedy that had kind of dwindled with male characters being men.
I looked up who the person was who made the call and found her Twitter was filled with MeToo, down with the patriarchy, misogyny is evil -- the usual Twitter feed in 2019. She was an Asian American Ivy Leaguer. All of her Twitter feed was about lifting up marginalized voices in the industry. What she left out was silencing white male voices. I'll never forget she had a Tweet out about looking for LGBTQ, BIPOC, African American female cyber futurist writers. That was her jam. I didn't even know what that was.
The takeaway I had in that moment was, "Fuck, I'm not one of the good guys anymore." I took this one hard because it wasn't someone rejecting my screenplay per se -- they were rejecting me and things about myself I could not change.
The messaging, in my industry, was that I was done. I was not allowed to talk. Whatever I had to say was not important. It was confusing. I wasn't a nepo kid. I didn't even go to film school. I wrote my way into Hollywood.
That was my awakening. Like you, Sasha, I am ashamed of how I acted when I "identified" as a Democrat. Learning that the people I thought were the good people were now pulling something worse than Watergate behind the scenes with the Russia hoax has enraged me.
Where are Woodward and Bernstein now? We deified them in that (excellent) film and if they were anything like those characters, they'd be chasing this story instead of staying quiet.
I'm glad I'm "new woke". My new woke is I will never go back to voting with a party that destroyed the cultural fabric of our nation while using the media to convince us they were the good guys. It sucks this happened in my lifetime and I fell for it, but I'd rather be a registered Independent who isn't part of any tribe right now, than belong to any of these parties. I support President Trump, I voted for him in the last election, but I will never again in my lifetime pledge my allegiance to a political party. I've seen enough. I'll just make up my own mind. I don't need a team.
An excellent cautionary tale. May I suggest dropping the new title? How about simply being an American citizen. That places you in some good company indeed and is in no need of a qualifier. Besides, it is rather bracing to be considered a Trump-supporting "deplorable, garbage, racist, clinger 'contaminant'" (the latter my favorite term). :-)
Fred, whether you realize it or not, you are part of a tribe: the tribe that looks to common sense as it’s guiding principle. I am proud to be in the tribe with you.
There will be no return to sanity for Democrats. They have gone too far to turn back. For them, the only way out is through. They've built absolutist positions for themselves on every issue of note, and backing off even an inch destroys the whole foundation.
As an example: While it may be ridiculous to assert that "transwomen" are identical to women, it is even more ridiculous to assert that they are identical *except* when it comes to athletics. Pull any loose thread, and the whole thing unravels.
And if they DO moderate, and admit that biological reality trumps identity? What do you say, as a Democrat, to one of your true believers who followed you down that Good-Intention paved roadway? What do you say to a progressive parent who thought they were really helping when they, at your behest and with all your assurances that it would all turn out for the best, encouraged and allowed their child's healthy body to be butchered and altered in ways that cannot be restored? "Oops."? "Sorry we turned you into a monster, but please keep voting for us."?
No. They've already chosen the hills they'll die on.
Your ability to dissect your experience these last years and then put it into words is just extraordinary. You are truly gifted, and I am so grateful we are the recipients of the fruit of your deep introspection.
Much of the Left has a tribal identity that is the most meaningful aspect of their lives. I don't think they can, without great psychic sacrifice, see what they have become.
Well put. I used to buy some of this stuff, would've called myself 'liberal.' Then I lived in Korea for 14 yrs, proceeding to come back home to the US at peak woke, which triggered the type of spiritual crisis that could usher in real clarity about the state of things in the US. It's like scales being removed from the eyes. It is painful, and I think most people avoid it at all costs.
It's really an interesting topic - how one goes from Left to Right. We all have different tales to tell. Sasha has chronicled hers well. For me, it was when my girlfriend told me she was pregnant. In an instant, I knew this wasn't about choice, it was about our decision whether another human should live or die. It was an epiphany or, as you say, the scales fall from your eyes. I don't think we can make this happen en masse, it has to happen on a personal level.
Both parties are tribal by nature today
Yes but one is inspired by Marx and the other the American Founders and their Constitution of which no matter what's said, Trump's yet to violate.
Raymond...
BOOM. TRUTH.
🎤🎤🎤
Both are tribal, nasty and use names like you just described to ridicule and name call the other side to avoid talking to them like human beings and I admit I do that as well when i get pushed into these debates and you dont respect my point.
Please explain how a post that says one side is inspired by Marx is name calling.
Because its not true and just as bad as calling Trump a Nazi.
Really? I get the impression from that statement that you're unfamiliar with the concepts and results of Marxist ideology. Nothing about Trump indicates he is an unwitting subscriber of Nazi ideology. But Marxism is all about establishing oppressor/oppressed and using whatever tools will advance that belief. Progressives are Marxist inspired. Over time, I have gotten the impression you are determined to play both sides (disingenuously) while very obviously taking one of them.
WHAT?
Mamdani is NOT a Marxist?
You're not paying attention or you to appreciate Marx, the denial has been going on for decades. The depression era gave lots of people, desperate for solutions, the lack of knowledge of what it was doing in Soviet Russia was broadly unknown so some saw it as a solution. The by the late 40s the Soviet reality was better known and Mao was making his move. As of today Communism has claimed more than 100 million lives and untold more lived it's misery. There's no legitimate way the wasted philosophy should be anything more than a historical foot note but it's incredibly popular. The Democratic Socialists occupy seats in our Congress and 58% of 30 and under think it's worth a shot, this's in America. Thank Education for not educating. Have you not seen one Turning Point debate on one of our college campuses? Virtually all that come well prepared in Marxism but I'll concede that they're probably unaware as well, but it's what they've been taught. YOU Sir have some observations to catch up on. The current front runner for Mayor is a Happy Marxist, AOC, Ilhan Omar and the rest of the Squad, approve of Marxism. Because of people blind like you, it's spread here in the land of Liberty.
One has an extremist/authoritarian ideology, and the other does not. The Far Left has taken over the Demo Party. The Far Right (KKK, Neo-Nazi) remains fringe.
The far left has shit over the real power in the democrat party the corporation section. All that you see is smoke and mirrors please learn to look inside not at the magic show being presented.
I stand uncorrected. There is nothing against Leftists and Elitists allying. And that is what has happened.
I am a free market Capitalist.
Marxist cloak themselves as "Liberals" or "Progressives".
Call me a CAPITALIST and I admit it.
Get pissed when I call you a Socialist?
It doesn't make sense.
Learn the difference of Socialism and Marxism and Democrats only want very certain thing the rest of the world has covered.
You're funny
Well stated ! ! !
The American Founders were adamant that we should not engage in foreign wars because they saw first hand how it destroyed much of the European nations; yet the GOP and Dems, both run by Neocons, fund trillions in foreign wars in Europe and Middle East over decades. The Democrats and the Republicans are far more similar in their hypocrisy than they are different in their implementation of critical decisions like trillions in debt, foreign entanglements and military.
Not really. I am essentially the same person I was 40 years ago and my beliefs have not changed in any material respect. I do not identify with any particular brand of Republicanism or conservatism and my sense of self-identity is not determined by affiliation with any group. Indeed, I do not expect affirmation or fear rejection based on my political leanings.
I do not think most liberals can say the same. Certainly the liberals I know well have trouble being in the least way broad minded.
Most people do not share that. From Sasha to Matt Tabbi they are very oriented to one party ideology even if they wont admit it my biggest pet pieve is they use "independent" as a word to attract people when they are clearly rooting for one party to succeed and one to fail.
I am desperately rooting for the Democrats to fail. A bigger bunch of racist bigots has rarely walked the Earth. But the fact that I want them to fail does not mean that I identify with the Right. It just means I hate hypocrites that are trying to impose an Orwellian state.
Umm yea that is a clear indication where your loyalty are and have been unless you are an anarchist who wants both to fail to which I have not seen.
The United States of America was founded as a Constitutional Republic, not a Democracy, of which the founders were well aware that pure Democracy was nothing more than Mob Rule which was extremely evident from 2021 to 2025 and from 2008 to 2017. Some of the people here are conflating Liberal with Leftist. I would like to consider myself a Liberal, I take in the facts then decide, in fact I may waste a lot of time finding the truth of a matter because in the end, that is what matters. The DNC is using ever trick in the Marx/Alinsky book to grab power permanently, I've been a California resident for 71 years, I've seen the change. Very, very dear friends were Democrats and we would disagree but never break our bond. In the end, most of them re-registered because the DNC had left them behind. HL3, you need to sharpen up.
Both parties have pushed that narrative its a democracy . God both parties of tons of idiots like you who keep pushing one side is pure evil and their side is right. Fuck off both sides.
Perhaps both "parties" are "tribal" as you say, but that does not mean that individuals of particular philosophical persuasions are tribal or in lock-step. I went independent because of what you observe. I try to stay true to the principles of our country's founding.
Tribal in a sense that many, maybe most, of them are dependent on the teat of the government cow.
These observations on this blog right here by Sasha, are very illuminating...
This has happened to a lot more people than everyone else realizes...
Stupid always seeks its proper level, no matter the nomenclature
Every so-called interest group that the Democrats embrace is a "victim" of American society, according to the Democrats.
Having written off the white vote under Obama, and the working class vote under Kamala, their one great hope was to get all their oppressed groups together, to form a coalition.
Every one of their groups, or tribes, has forced party "purity" within the Democrat coalition. So no matter how outrageous or radical their demands, you had better follow the party platform. Dissent is not tolerated!
Exactly. This has been what is pushing them farther and farther away from the interests of most Americans. The most radical of the groups/ tribes are the ones making the most demands of the party. And if you question it, you're OUT.
The protests of Trump have come from the farthest Left of the party, and they have shown everyone else, as to what their real goal is--power. Loss after loss, in the area of public perception. But, do they ever think to recalibrate their opposition, and really examine what they are protesting? Nope. Therefore, they are painting themselves into a corner. They have become pro-illegal immigration, pro-criminal, pro transgender mutilation of children, on and on...
Picking the 20% side of an 8020 coalition, is not a winning strategy. Get your popcorn out 😂
How long before there is a serious break, between the far-Left Progressive Socialist Communist faction, and the more moderate Liberal Democrats? 🤔
I keep praying they keep it up.
Yes. Instead of actually looking at the situation, and asking themselves what they could do better… or are they representing themselves, their party, and their policies well…
They doubled down and triple down.
I'm a big firm believer in, if somebody is an idiot, I mean total idiot, you let them speak and expose themselves for what they are…
Throw them a shovel and tell them to keep digging!
Try doing any of that on Reddit, as I have, and you get banned almost instantly. 🤣
Spot on, A. Anytime you are in a group of Dems/Leftist, dissent from the anti-MAGA line is quickly punished, and assent is expected/demanded.... Silence is regarded (rightfully so, it must be noted) as disagreement, and is viewed with suspicion.
And I'm fascinated by the fact that in these Dem/Leftist groups, there is a competition to see who is the most vehemently anti-Trump, i.e., who is the most fanatic cult member... Really really weird...
John Fetterman is a good example. When he started speaking out, the Dem party started questioning his health and mental stability.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are not Christians.
Identity has become such a large part of the Democrat platform, that it is causing their groups to start turning on each other occasionally, because of the contradictions in their "beliefs" as a party.
Rather than supporting policies that treat everyone equally, they have bent over backwards to be Santa Claus to every one of their little tribes, every interest group that they have in their coalition.
Therefore the loudest voices get the most attention. Those on the far Left, the most Progressive, turn their demands into official policy.
So, at some point, the Democrats became more of an advocacy group of every so-called "oppressed" tribe, and neglected the needs of large segments of the population.
Hence, that is why we are seeing more moderate Democrats leave the party, because the Democrats no longer represent them.
Identity but also just raw emotion. No one on the right or even centrists lose it like the Left. Witness the goofball in DC throwing his sub sandwich. On the Left, seems no need to introspect.
Yes. There doesn't seem to be any self-examination or anything. If they lose, it's because people are racist and misogynistic. Better double down…
🤣😂
Some say corrupt.
"Was it worth a cold Civil War that has divided this country, divided families, ended friendships, torn us apart"?
We must understand, 👆THAT IS THEIR GOAL. To tear It All apart.
agreed. Perfect example, one of thousands that can be easily found:
- Michigan State Professor REQUIRED students to "join" her "Rebellion.com" org for $99
- teaching a class required for graduation
- Dr. Amy Wisner stated in a now-deleted Facebook post that the organization was a “safe place to coordinate our efforts to burn everything to the fucking ground”
- Her official syllabus called the group 'a global social learning community,'
- this went on for years until someone discovered the funds were actually going to:
____a) Planned Parenthood, and
____b) buying herself a "Rebellion RV" to tour the country going to protests
Actually, per Robert Hare, the creator of the Pschopathy Checklist, it's 4% of the general population. And right now, they are an extremely vocal population. It's like "Invasion of the Body Snatchers." They are making themselves undeniably visible where before, they were just coasting under the radar.
It is curious though...
How many of those psychopaths have turned out, and become stalwart members of the Democrat party and Leftism.
🤔🤔🤔
BRING. BACK. ASYLUMS.
Honestly, if they did this...
It would decimate the most activist members in the Leftist progressive coalition.
Think about that for a minute...
🤔🤔🤔
It was the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act that caused all of the asylums to close in CA.
Gavin Newsom is a perfect example of this.
Except for the fact we are busting his chops on X every day.
I would put Obama on that list.
I'm not necessarily thinking of the leaders of insanity, but more the "useful idiots."
Like Epstein
100%
I was questioning your statement that Russian’s invasion of Ukraine was used to distract from Canada’s internal troubles. I do not see a connection.
there isn,t. I gave some information in my reply to him. The Russia / Ukraine issue was brewing since 2014 and was a direct result of Biden resurrecting Obama's policy of wanting to get Ukraine in NATO, as a follow up to Obama's coup in the Ukraine in 2014. Nobody is starting a massive war in Europe because Trudeau couldnt handle a vaccine mandate protest by truckers and supporters and needed a distraction from bad press. I am very anti Trudeau and am in alignment with a lot of his detractors, but some of these types tie everything to him and won't let that bone go. He was absolutely incompetent, but he was not significant enough to do much on a world level, especially calling power broker leaders for a favor.
To them anything is worth having power including assassinating anybody who gets in their path!
lol.. no Justin did not have the pull to or have enough world leaders give a rip bout him to get an entire war started so he wouldn't get bad press over dealing with a protest. I am sure we share many things in common about our opinions of him and how he handled the trucker convoy, but your hypothetical is way out of there. The situation with Russia/Ukraine was building for a decade since Obama engineered a coup in the Ukraine to get in a US friendly government in order to break their word and get Ukraine into NATO so they could build large number of troops on the Russian border. Putin immediately annexed Crimea and put troops in the far eastern region of Ukraine to try to buffer himself from that. When Biden came to power he resurrected the push to get Ukraine in Nato (Trump didn;'t support that), and the war began. Just wanted to give you some historical perspective.
We knew in the 1960s that Russia wouldn’t tolerate missiles so close to Moscow that they had no chance of shooting them down. Back then, 60?years ago!, we had to remove ours from Turkey so that they would remove theirs from Cuba. Dr Strangelove still relevant today, 60 years later. Some days I’m embarrassed for Homo Saipans.
A, “The Ukraine War was announced in February 2022”? Do you mean Russian army crossed the border and invaded Ukraine to distract from truckers?
While reading your latest personal reflection, I thought about Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, possibly still sitting across a table and perhaps being aware of being two of the most demonised people in the world in terms of what has been projected upon them by both so-called elites and also everyday people bombarded with propaganda by the hacks of various mainstream media organisations and by self-righteous bureaucrats full of conviction that they know more about what is needed to "save the world" than do the men and women trying to survive and help their families to survive the chaos and struggle they endure daily inflicted upon them by their so called "betters" who delusionally believe that they are really qualified to be the "elite". I just hope that somewhere in the middle of it all these two "apex leaders" have some moments of humor and mutual empathy as to the similarities of the situations they are in. Both of them have massive numbers of people who want to see them "crash and burn" - mainly from these loathsome "elites" that want to maintain control. May the results of their meeting be substantive for both sides, but also as outstanding as the most dramatic "kayfabe" fight between the two greatest WWF finalists. Because God knows the world needs the nearest thing possible to some sort of "win-win" solution to this mess.
I also thought about this as we await this Alaska meeting. It’s so incredibly obvious that Russia has merely been a tool for the DS- in one moment, Hillary is holding a “reset” prop and Obama is humiliating Romney (“The 80’s are calling…”) and the next , Putin is the devil and Trump is one of his minions.
Trump and Putin truly have the opportunity to drive a dagger into the heart of the DS by bringing a peace deal and forge a new path for a better world. That common ground of vilification could form the basis for a powerful alliance- though “trust but verify” would have to drive it. Putin is former KGB afterall.
That today is the Solemnity of the Assumption is huge. Anyone who understands what happened at Fatima understands the significance of this.
Holy Mother of God, pray for us. Be with these men today.
Amen
Father, we know the gates of hell won't stop your plan. We pray you'll give Trump wisdom. We pray for the killing to stop. In Jesus name, amen.
Indeed! Really liked the group Rosary on the feast of the Assumption. Great songs to Mary today too at Mass. thanks for the reminder about Fatima and note, Granny.
Putin kills his political enemies, controls all three branches of their fake republic, and skims billions off the oligarchs he controls with fear. Not sure he’s quite a role model.
And are we any different? JFK was assassinated by the Deep State. All three branches of our own government are habitually corrupted by the IC. And Biden and his cronies from the Deep State skimmed billions from USAID and Ukraine, and no doubt countless of other places.
I suppose Israel and Hamas are the same as well and are just proxies in a war of two evils?
False equivalency. We are tame by comparison.
Prove it. I think your brainwashed indoctrinated patriotic bias is showing.
Damn, you sound like a lefty going for the insults almost immediately.
Unfortunately , I've just realized over the past decade how corrupt and debased our own government is, and how most voters live in a idealized fantasy world where they think what they do has any impact on what our leaders do. Forever wars, failures at "spreading democracy?"
I've come to the conclusion that a government run by narcissistic psychopathic pedophiles who rig every election they can and who want to disarm us for their own protection may not be the ideal system.
No, sir and no one said that he's a role model; he's much more than that: He's reality.
Let’s hope that reality doesn’t come here. The left has been trying to bring it.
Dont worry, reality left the US with all the pregnant men.
Hes not a role model. He is a bad dude. But you know what? Working with him, ending the war, giving him some concessions so he can save face with his people, and deepening trade ties with Russia is heck of a lot better than the path things are on. (perpetual war and Russia getting closer to China).
Totally agree. He won’t be around much longer. We can’t cow him, he has a $2Bil gold dacha-fortress on a cliff overlooking the Black Sea, all he can fear is his legacy as a loser. Let him reunite a sliver of Russian Ukraine, force he and Zelensky into an Ukraine favorable trade relationship and a mutual non-aggression pact and let them repair their nations and move on.
"By means of ever more effective methods of mind-manipulation, the democracies will change their nature; the quaint old forms - elections, parliaments, Supreme Courts and all the rest - will remain.
The underlying substance will be a new kind of totalitarianism. All the traditional names, all the hallowed slogans will remain exactly what they were in the good old days. Democracy and freedom will be the theme of every broadcast and editorial. Meanwhile the ruling oligarchy and its highly trained elite of soldiers, policemen, thought-manufacturers and mind-manipulators will quietly run the show as they see fit."
- Aldous Huxley
You think Xi, Trump, Bibi and Sharmer don’t do this?! That’s been going on worldwide wide for thousands of years.
Another good one, Sasha. I’d argue that they didn’t “turn into” who they are. They were always that way. Bill Clinton? Corruption all the way down. Hillary’s sociopathy was obvious. Obama was a “rules for radicals” acolyte, a supposedly smooth and plausible door to usher in all that - and, while I never found him either, obviously many did. And he did try to usher it in.
Way back when Obamacare was being debated, I had legitimate concerns (that badly turned out to be too mild - the reality is much worse). I used to post things sometimes on Facebook. A high school friend sent me a long private message that she was unfriending me because of my obvious racism - my first real experience with someone totally ignoring facts and history in the cult of personality. Mind you, I’d already been working in Uganda for years where only 3% of people are white. Working with Ugandans, not white-savioring. But no, I was a racist, she couldn’t possibly be friends with someone Iike me, the end. I sent her a long message back, and unfriended her once she’d read it. With what I know now about the left, she didn’t read it or believe any of it, but I said my piece.
The problem for them now is that an increasingly shrinking minority of ever more loudly shrieking crazy people (yes esp white women and all the trantifa types) are certifiable. Others are waking up everywhere, looking around and remembering a world that used to exist and thinking maybe they prefer it. They will get violent because they are crazy, in the purest definition of the word. But they only push more people to the right as they do, and hopefully we will once again embrace mental health and hospitals and treatment over whatever has been happening for the past 35 years. If we can find un-woke therapists I guess.
In my own life here in the South, I have to say that things feel normal again. I’m grateful.
I saw this on Facebook in the years before Trump and among people I knew in meatspace. So yes they were always this way or at least on the road to it. It got ratcheted up as Sasha said. The thing about ratchets is you can't go back.
It is curious...
How many of those psychopaths in American society, have become stalwart members of the Democrat party and Leftism?
🤔🤔🤔
BRING. BACK. ASYLUMS.
Honestly, if they did this...
It would decimate the most activist members in the Leftist progressive coalition.
Think about that for a minute...
🤔🤔🤔
Consider what almost happened to our country — Hillary Clinton winning in 2016.
With all these insane bums and their protégés protecting her for 8-years.
Imagine Schiff as D/CIA.
Imagine the Supreme Court today with her selecting four Progressive justices during her reign as the Crazy Queen.
Trump deserves to be on Mt. Rushmore simply because he stopped Hillary Clinton in 2016 —for destroying a comatose Biden in the 2024 debate — for stopping Kamala Harris in November 2024.
Just imagine the Woke being in charge of everything without Trump giving almost everything to stop them.
Imagine our country suffering another four years of an open border under Harris.
It is not over yet. We had better hope that JD Vance will defeat Hunter Biden in 2028, or else President Hunter Biden will bring in a hundred million or more foreigners, including all the Palestinians to permanently change the country. Trump picked Vance as his successor, and I think he made an excellent pick.
"President Hunter Biden".
MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
OMG, that's a good one!!!
Never say never. We almost had the Cackling Idiot.
Yes, yes, let's legalize cocaine. Even in the White House!
It takes guts to walk away from one’s tribe. And great fortitude to bear with the loneliness and isolation. But I know no one who has done so who regrets it.
I have been struck repeatedly and increasingly since 2020 how much our powers have taken on the qualities of pathological narcissists.
It is curious...
How many of those psychopaths in American society, have become stalwart members of the Democrat party and Leftism?
🤔🤔🤔
BRING. BACK. ASYLUMS.
Honestly, if they did this...
It would decimate the most activist members in the Leftist progressive coalition.
Think about that for a minute...
🤔🤔🤔
Problem is: pathological Narcissism alone is just a part of Cluster B personality disorder. Can’t institutionalize anyone not floridly psychotic. And “a danger to self or others”.
But now, things are starting to change.
There are people getting assaulted for wearing MAGA hats. People are getting spit upon and attacked...
And so many people on the Left refuse to condemn violence that is almost encouraged by the language of people who occupy public office.
I grew up in a Cluster B home and it did feel schizophrenic at times, although fortunately I escaped with only a trauma disorder (treated). When every attempt at addressing the lies and manipulation is "that never happened and you're crazy" you start to actually feel crazy. Like you can't trust your own sense of what just happened. If you submit and enmesh the mentally ill person literally writes your reality for you and you lose contact with any sense making of your own. It's hard to explain to people who haven't lived it.
I escaped co-dependency, and instead became hyper independent. Figured I would just be on my own and take care of things myself considering my history of depending on other people didn't work out for me that well. Did that until my late 20s when I realized I was lonely and had trust issues and needed to let people in. Met my now husband shortly after. Great guy. Married 17 years. Two kids.
Happy for you Jen:) I lived the experience in a 21 year marriage which I left when I got clarity. I’m also a clinical social worker, now retired. I once told my clients in “our” situation: “If you feel crazy in this crazy situation, you’re more than sane”. At 67, married a great guy who understands the dynamic from his family of origin. We are going on 7 years now with 10 grandkids between us and having the Best and greatest time of our lives.!
So there is hope out there for anyone who can face the terrible truth and walk away… and keep walking.
A different kind of “Me Too” movement:) # WalkAway has helped.
I don’t think many on the left will change. I do also think that many of these people will be mentally and emotionally damaged for the rest of their lives. They are terminally conflicted. They are so deeply immersed in their ideology that to realize that they have been largely or totally wrong on all their deeply held political beliefs would cause a deeply scaring break in their own identity and psychology. It’s like forever trying to convince yourself that 2 + 2 equals 5. Logically they know it’s wrong but they cannot come around to accepting that it’s wrong. You can see that 2+2 is 4 but you just can’t come around to fully accepting that. It’s sad but I don’t sympathize. I have not forgotten their hatred and how far they would go to destroy others who simply believed differently. They were frequently violent. They hurt peoples livelihood. It’s justice that they are trapped in a Hell that they cannot escape. They created the Hell and their hatred got them there. Enjoy.
I think that still there are others like Sasha that will turn to facts. Some personal event starts the process. Sasha said that the death of her father was just the beginning but it was a start.
It is curious...
How many of those psychopaths in American society, have become stalwart members of the Democrat party and Leftism?
🤔🤔🤔
BRING. BACK. ASYLUMS.
Honestly, if they did this...
It would decimate the most activist members in the Leftist progressive coalition.
Think about that for a minute...
🤔🤔🤔
Sasha, Incredible piece. You weave together historical context, cultural references and political analysis in a beautiful tapestry of a narrative podcast punctuated with documentary video evidence of the insanity of our times. It is always a joy to see your wonderful work. Thank you.
Yes, it actually takes a person of substance, to admit that they've been misled.
Exposing that to others, is the best way to allow other people to make this self-realization.
Because getting in deluded peoples' faces, and telling them that they're crazy, doesn't work. They have to realize it on their own.
How many Sashas have made the journey to the normal world of more common sense and open mindedness? Why haven't more white women who are well.read and college educated? Or was their "education" the problem? I see and hear about such women all the time. Within their own groups they seem nice enough but once the dreaded name is mentioned the vibe shifts and not in a positive or pleasant manner. The hatred is palpable. And the worst of it is that the hate is also directed at any other woman who does not bend the knee and show they too have the hate bug.
Sasha observations regarding Obama and Hillary are spot on. What has either accomplished in life outside of divisive politics that has allowed them to become powerful and rich( Hillary of course needed bill for both). Does either possess the traits or values we associate with "selflessness" or " humanity"? Yet they are revered by millions especially liberal white women ( bill was too of course including offers to play the role of Monica to thank bill for his abortion stance: all the while closing eyes to his extreme misogyny).
I generally don't care that mu h about retribution but now that we are learning (slowly) about the cabal of Obama,Hillary, Comey et al , it is essential that tens of millions of Americans learn what they did and attempted to do. Whether they go to.jail is beside the point. The TRUTH needs to be known and every single excuse maker ir deflector needs to be put on the hot seat so they are NEVER AGAIN TRUSTED OR TREATED WITH RESPECT . Until then the Sashas and Taibbis and Julie Kellys need to keep the info flowing and banging the drums of transparency and full disclosure
Yes indeed!
Nothing breeds contempt and hatred like self-righteousness. Admitting that you were wrong or duped is difficult enough in a vacuum but when your relationships and livelihood depend on it it becomes a matter of survival—self-righteousness is no longer the guardian of ego but the defender of existential threat. This is today’s Democratic Party. They are under existential threat, done in by their own self righteousness. They have nothing else to offer.
This is classic narcissism Split others into good and bad and create an alternate reality where you are always superior and correct. Whatever it takes.
That is well put. Thanks.
The ghouls you named are all soulless and dead on the inside.
Was it all worth it to them?
I do not think they feel anything so they’re unable to answer.
Now that we have the momentum moving to the right, do not get cocky. Be normal, not crazy like them.
Agreed, with the caveat that these people did what they could to harm you. They made it defacto legal to chase you out of restaurants for wearing a hat, censored your speech, tried to woo your children into their twisted delusions.
You are entirely justified in taking it out of their hides.
It’s not just acting normal. It’s remembering to humor the Democrats too even though much of what they spew is pure hatred towards us on the normal side. We need to remember that they are humans too; give them the benefit of the doubt the way Sasha gave MAGA the benefit of the doubt. This has been hard for me too, but I try to think about how exhausting their view of the world must be; how tiresome it is to think that everyone is out to get them; how fatiguing it is to be that paranoid to believe that the world is one giant oppressor. I feel very sorry for them and I hope that one day they are able to see the truth or at least want to try to.
Um, no. When you think there'll be some greater reward for turning the other cheek to these people or that they are deserving of your pity, that's what they're counting on. Avoiding accountability. Never experiencing the full consequences for their aggressions. Always hitting you harder than you're willing to hit them back.
No, thanks. I'd rather have a full measure of revenge, now, if it's all the same to you.
I refuse to subscribe to the, "We need to be better than them.", line of thinking. Where I come from, playing by the exact same set of rules that your opponent plays by is usually referred to as "fair".
This post really spoke to me. Like you, I was a former Democrat. Like you, I voted for Hillary. I remember telling myself that my dead Mom would be proud of me for helping to elect the first female President as I walked out of the polling location. This delusion that we were the good people was strong. It was baked into us. It was baked into the national messaging. The media. The movies. Everywhere. Democrats = Good People. Anyone else = Racist crazies.
I used to let Democrat candidates put their signs on my lawn. I didn't even do research into them and what they stood for. They were the good people. Sure, use my property to advertise your name as cars whiz by.
And I had my reckoning. As I've said before, I work in the film industry. I don't tell this story often, but in 2019, I was looking to sign with a new manager. A friend put me in touch with one of the best in the business. He took my call. We had a nice chat. He asked me to send my new script for them to read since he sparked to it. This was on a Friday. He said he'd get back to me by Monday -- which is rare in Hollywood.
On Monday, I got the call from his offices -- it's a big management company (Sasha would know the name instantly) -- not a one-man show -- on the other end of the phone was a woman from the company. She said, "We just wanted to give you a call to let you know we were passing on you as a client." Getting a call to get this kind of response is not normal -- they usually either ghost you or you get a short email saying this.
Since I had her on the phone, I asked her why. She quickly spat out, "I was offended by your script." I asked her what the manager I spoke with (her boss) thought and she told me, "I'm the one who read it. I asked him if I could call you to tell you this."
I was flustered and didn't know what to say and just said, "Ok, thank you." and hung up the phone.
I told my wife. She couldn't believe it. My screenplay was a supernatural comedy akin to Ghostbusters. It wasn't political. It fit in the Seth Rogen/Apatow world of comedy that had kind of dwindled with male characters being men.
I looked up who the person was who made the call and found her Twitter was filled with MeToo, down with the patriarchy, misogyny is evil -- the usual Twitter feed in 2019. She was an Asian American Ivy Leaguer. All of her Twitter feed was about lifting up marginalized voices in the industry. What she left out was silencing white male voices. I'll never forget she had a Tweet out about looking for LGBTQ, BIPOC, African American female cyber futurist writers. That was her jam. I didn't even know what that was.
The takeaway I had in that moment was, "Fuck, I'm not one of the good guys anymore." I took this one hard because it wasn't someone rejecting my screenplay per se -- they were rejecting me and things about myself I could not change.
The messaging, in my industry, was that I was done. I was not allowed to talk. Whatever I had to say was not important. It was confusing. I wasn't a nepo kid. I didn't even go to film school. I wrote my way into Hollywood.
That was my awakening. Like you, Sasha, I am ashamed of how I acted when I "identified" as a Democrat. Learning that the people I thought were the good people were now pulling something worse than Watergate behind the scenes with the Russia hoax has enraged me.
Where are Woodward and Bernstein now? We deified them in that (excellent) film and if they were anything like those characters, they'd be chasing this story instead of staying quiet.
I'm glad I'm "new woke". My new woke is I will never go back to voting with a party that destroyed the cultural fabric of our nation while using the media to convince us they were the good guys. It sucks this happened in my lifetime and I fell for it, but I'd rather be a registered Independent who isn't part of any tribe right now, than belong to any of these parties. I support President Trump, I voted for him in the last election, but I will never again in my lifetime pledge my allegiance to a political party. I've seen enough. I'll just make up my own mind. I don't need a team.
An excellent cautionary tale. May I suggest dropping the new title? How about simply being an American citizen. That places you in some good company indeed and is in no need of a qualifier. Besides, it is rather bracing to be considered a Trump-supporting "deplorable, garbage, racist, clinger 'contaminant'" (the latter my favorite term). :-)
You are truly a man for all seasons, Paul.
As a friend of the Ricardo's, that is high praise, indeed, Mr. Mertz!
Fred, whether you realize it or not, you are part of a tribe: the tribe that looks to common sense as it’s guiding principle. I am proud to be in the tribe with you.
There will be no return to sanity for Democrats. They have gone too far to turn back. For them, the only way out is through. They've built absolutist positions for themselves on every issue of note, and backing off even an inch destroys the whole foundation.
As an example: While it may be ridiculous to assert that "transwomen" are identical to women, it is even more ridiculous to assert that they are identical *except* when it comes to athletics. Pull any loose thread, and the whole thing unravels.
And if they DO moderate, and admit that biological reality trumps identity? What do you say, as a Democrat, to one of your true believers who followed you down that Good-Intention paved roadway? What do you say to a progressive parent who thought they were really helping when they, at your behest and with all your assurances that it would all turn out for the best, encouraged and allowed their child's healthy body to be butchered and altered in ways that cannot be restored? "Oops."? "Sorry we turned you into a monster, but please keep voting for us."?
No. They've already chosen the hills they'll die on.
Excellent post. Your second paragraph is my favorite.
Your ability to dissect your experience these last years and then put it into words is just extraordinary. You are truly gifted, and I am so grateful we are the recipients of the fruit of your deep introspection.
Thank you, Sasha.
PS - have you reconciled with your sister?
Regret!? Hell, they’re doubling down.