Agree that the crisis we’re experiencing feels surreal in that people are acting like things are normal when they are very much not so. Less sure about idea that crisis would resolve if response was more dramatic. Yes, confront bad actors, challenge insidious assertions, prosecute wrong doing, etc, etc., but the movement toward autocracy has legs because so many people are susceptible to the appeal of authoritarianism. The ‘leaders’ of the movement are political opportunists surfing a wave. We won’t change the wave just by defeating such ‘leaders.’ We can’t force or persuade the wave to behave differently. The solution is to take the energy out of the wave. You won’t do that if further whipping it up with understandably furious but ultimately futile antagonism. I supported Warren in 2020 but think Biden is handling this crisis well and may be better able to do so by virtue of his style/temperament and, alas, gender. Post-Biden, maybe Kamala Harris can catch a different wave?!
Agree that the crisis we’re experiencing feels surreal in that people are acting like things are normal when they are very much not so. Less sure about idea that crisis would resolve if response was more dramatic. Yes, confront bad actors, challenge insidious assertions, prosecute wrong doing, etc, etc., but the movement toward autocracy has legs because so many people are susceptible to the appeal of authoritarianism. The ‘leaders’ of the movement are political opportunists surfing a wave. We won’t change the wave just by defeating such ‘leaders.’ We can’t force or persuade the wave to behave differently. The solution is to take the energy out of the wave. You won’t do that if further whipping it up with understandably furious but ultimately futile antagonism. I supported Warren in 2020 but think Biden is handling this crisis well and may be better able to do so by virtue of his style/temperament and, alas, gender. Post-Biden, maybe Kamala Harris can catch a different wave?!