Over the past decade, my political orientation has evolved toward the center. I withdrew from party affiliation several years ago and now vote as an independent, guided more by principle and policy than partisan loyalty.
From my perspective, recent trends within the Democratic Party suggest a consolidation around ideological extremes, marked by coordinated messaging across media, academia, and increasingly, corporate governance. For example, in the years following the 2016 election, we witnessed the rise of activist-driven policies within higher education and media institutions where dissenting views, particularly those that challenge progressive orthodoxies, were often marginalized or publicly condemned. The "disinvitation" phenomenon on college campuses, the 2020 media suppression of certain politically sensitive stories such as the Hunter Biden laptop story which was initially labeled disinformation by many outlets and tech platforms, and the widespread use of cancel culture tactics serve as examples.
In tandem, a growing alliance between federal policy initiatives and large-scale donor or interest-group funding has been enabling enabling top-down social engineering. Programs linked to DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) in both public and private sectors, while arguably addressing systemic inequities, have at times sidelined traditional values such as individual merit, private property rights, and decentralized governance. Critics contend that these frameworks promote ideological conformity under the guise of moral progressivism.
Conversely, the modern Republican Party has undergone significant transformation. The rise of populism under the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement has amplified the voices of disaffected voters who feel alienated by globalism, institutional elitism, and cultural shifts. However, this populism is often accompanied by conspiracy-laden rhetoric such as QAnon theories or 2020 election fraud claims and cult-like loyalty to singular figures. Furthermore, traditional neoconservative elements still influential in the background continue to advocate for expansive foreign policy commitments and increased defense spending, echoing patterns from the post-9/11 era.
What emerges from both parties is a troubling convergence: propaganda-driven narratives, emotionally charged messaging, and a prioritization of power over principle. This has contributed to a broader institutional breakdown. Over the past ten years, the federal government has seen a growth in bureaucratic power with limited accountability. Scandals involving agencies such as the FBI and IRS, the Snowden revelations on NSA surveillance, and the erosion of checks and balances among the branches of government suggest a system increasingly disconnected from its constituents. The courts appear politicized, Congress frequently deadlocked, and executive authority more expansive than ever, exemplified by the increased reliance on executive orders across multiple administrations.
Moreover, the intelligence and propaganda machinery originally designed for foreign adversaries appears at times to have been redirected inward. The use of counter-disinformation initiatives, cooperation between federal agencies and social media companies to police content as revealed in the "Twitter Files," and widespread public skepticism toward media and government institutions all point to a deeper crisis of legitimacy.
This leads to a fundamental question: are these developments the result of a complex system operating without central control, simply the outcome of institutional inertia and interest-group competition? Or is there evidence of coordinated compromise, whether ideological, economic, or otherwise?
While I do not claim to have definitive answers, it is clear that both ends of the political spectrum are producing large numbers of disenfranchised, disillusioned citizens. Trust in legacy media, political parties, and government institutions is deteriorating. In this atmosphere, anger and disconnection flourish, threatening the social cohesion necessary for democratic governance.
The republican party now in majority control, I expect to grow to match the same patterns we saw with the democrats over the last 20 years. I fear all of this will lead to totalitarianism, erosion of property rights, liberty and the ruin of class mobility.
I would add that the legacy media isn't missing the story. They are simply not pushing or are actively dismissing the story and that should tell you something about the media and reinforce what I just said about broken trust and the disenfranchised electorate.
I recently read that Jill Biden might face criminal charges for neglecting Joe Biden's health, as there is evidence he had cancer years earlier the publicly being reported, and it went untreated. Someone was running that show.
Most of my life I have accepted the position of indifference to political theater. It’s not that I don’t care, it’s more along the lines of putting that much energy into something I can really do little about seems wrong to me. Since 2014 I watched the fanatics and zealots display their passions ephemeral as a match light, and it gives me the eeriest feelings. Which I have described before as feeling as if someone/something was trying to use me as a marionette. (( Feeding the Egregore ))
That feeling is now being eclipsed by another gut sinking suspicion that it really wasn’t political theater this time.
A few years ago I started noticing one side pandering to a sense of tragedy to sow some aspect of social cohesion and progress. While accomplishing very little.
I watched another side pandering survival strategies, and gold/silver while soliciting a “just in case” scenario.
The perspective fates of the political divide is clear just by following the money.
I have never cheered for a president before except for Trump. He was the first non-career politician I could think of towards oval office. Even if I have avoided voting for presidential candidates by an instinct for self preservation.
"The Cabinet Secretaries subverted our government, rather than acting to preserve it as they were sworn to do."
If you're going to buy into all the hype, your missing the entire bit about where the cabinet secretaries were unable to access the President. It's difficult to decide he's incapacitated if you can't get a meeting with him.
I think this is all BS, but that's just my opinion.
Over the past decade, my political orientation has evolved toward the center. I withdrew from party affiliation several years ago and now vote as an independent, guided more by principle and policy than partisan loyalty.
From my perspective, recent trends within the Democratic Party suggest a consolidation around ideological extremes, marked by coordinated messaging across media, academia, and increasingly, corporate governance. For example, in the years following the 2016 election, we witnessed the rise of activist-driven policies within higher education and media institutions where dissenting views, particularly those that challenge progressive orthodoxies, were often marginalized or publicly condemned. The "disinvitation" phenomenon on college campuses, the 2020 media suppression of certain politically sensitive stories such as the Hunter Biden laptop story which was initially labeled disinformation by many outlets and tech platforms, and the widespread use of cancel culture tactics serve as examples.
In tandem, a growing alliance between federal policy initiatives and large-scale donor or interest-group funding has been enabling enabling top-down social engineering. Programs linked to DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) in both public and private sectors, while arguably addressing systemic inequities, have at times sidelined traditional values such as individual merit, private property rights, and decentralized governance. Critics contend that these frameworks promote ideological conformity under the guise of moral progressivism.
Conversely, the modern Republican Party has undergone significant transformation. The rise of populism under the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement has amplified the voices of disaffected voters who feel alienated by globalism, institutional elitism, and cultural shifts. However, this populism is often accompanied by conspiracy-laden rhetoric such as QAnon theories or 2020 election fraud claims and cult-like loyalty to singular figures. Furthermore, traditional neoconservative elements still influential in the background continue to advocate for expansive foreign policy commitments and increased defense spending, echoing patterns from the post-9/11 era.
What emerges from both parties is a troubling convergence: propaganda-driven narratives, emotionally charged messaging, and a prioritization of power over principle. This has contributed to a broader institutional breakdown. Over the past ten years, the federal government has seen a growth in bureaucratic power with limited accountability. Scandals involving agencies such as the FBI and IRS, the Snowden revelations on NSA surveillance, and the erosion of checks and balances among the branches of government suggest a system increasingly disconnected from its constituents. The courts appear politicized, Congress frequently deadlocked, and executive authority more expansive than ever, exemplified by the increased reliance on executive orders across multiple administrations.
Moreover, the intelligence and propaganda machinery originally designed for foreign adversaries appears at times to have been redirected inward. The use of counter-disinformation initiatives, cooperation between federal agencies and social media companies to police content as revealed in the "Twitter Files," and widespread public skepticism toward media and government institutions all point to a deeper crisis of legitimacy.
This leads to a fundamental question: are these developments the result of a complex system operating without central control, simply the outcome of institutional inertia and interest-group competition? Or is there evidence of coordinated compromise, whether ideological, economic, or otherwise?
While I do not claim to have definitive answers, it is clear that both ends of the political spectrum are producing large numbers of disenfranchised, disillusioned citizens. Trust in legacy media, political parties, and government institutions is deteriorating. In this atmosphere, anger and disconnection flourish, threatening the social cohesion necessary for democratic governance.
The republican party now in majority control, I expect to grow to match the same patterns we saw with the democrats over the last 20 years. I fear all of this will lead to totalitarianism, erosion of property rights, liberty and the ruin of class mobility.
I would add that the legacy media isn't missing the story. They are simply not pushing or are actively dismissing the story and that should tell you something about the media and reinforce what I just said about broken trust and the disenfranchised electorate.
I recently read that Jill Biden might face criminal charges for neglecting Joe Biden's health, as there is evidence he had cancer years earlier the publicly being reported, and it went untreated. Someone was running that show.
THIS is the right question - who is really running the show?????
A political 'coup.' You nailed it, good sir!
Most of my life I have accepted the position of indifference to political theater. It’s not that I don’t care, it’s more along the lines of putting that much energy into something I can really do little about seems wrong to me. Since 2014 I watched the fanatics and zealots display their passions ephemeral as a match light, and it gives me the eeriest feelings. Which I have described before as feeling as if someone/something was trying to use me as a marionette. (( Feeding the Egregore ))
That feeling is now being eclipsed by another gut sinking suspicion that it really wasn’t political theater this time.
A few years ago I started noticing one side pandering to a sense of tragedy to sow some aspect of social cohesion and progress. While accomplishing very little.
I watched another side pandering survival strategies, and gold/silver while soliciting a “just in case” scenario.
The perspective fates of the political divide is clear just by following the money.
I have never cheered for a president before except for Trump. He was the first non-career politician I could think of towards oval office. Even if I have avoided voting for presidential candidates by an instinct for self preservation.
"The Cabinet Secretaries subverted our government, rather than acting to preserve it as they were sworn to do."
If you're going to buy into all the hype, your missing the entire bit about where the cabinet secretaries were unable to access the President. It's difficult to decide he's incapacitated if you can't get a meeting with him.
I think this is all BS, but that's just my opinion.