Two things. One, I'll certainly miss your morning shots, even if we didn't always agree. I have always liked reading your rundowns of things in the morning.
Two, I think we have to admit that George Will's idea, that Trump was a response to progressives, is part of the reason that the GOP and conservatism became what it is today. That res…
Two things. One, I'll certainly miss your morning shots, even if we didn't always agree. I have always liked reading your rundowns of things in the morning.
Two, I think we have to admit that George Will's idea, that Trump was a response to progressives, is part of the reason that the GOP and conservatism became what it is today. That response to something being bad in your own party being 'actually, it's not us, it's them that did this' means that you're never culpable for what happens on your watch.
The GOP spent the better part of thirty years creating alternate institutions, alternate news sources, cultivating anti-government and anti-intellectual sentiment, and the result was that when someone came in and took over, the machine they built kept right on running as normal. There's a pretty big line between reagan saying that the worst words were 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help' and Trump claiming that the government is actively evil and must be destroyed. There's a pretty direct line between guys like O'Reilly and Beck railing about conspiracies and crime families and Trump and his followers taking that literally.
Progressives, such as they are, did not turn conservatives into paranoid, insular, xenophobic nutjobs. They did that themselves. They deliberately decided to disengage from the wider culture in the 1980s, gained setbacks in the 1990s when they failed to impeach Bill Clinton and pass their agenda during W. Bush's term, and when they finally looked around again during the Obama years, gazed upon a world that they didn't recognize.
It's not unlike the British Brexit movement, where British conservatives expected to leave the EU, and that the EU would beg them to stay. Only, that's not what happened. They left, the EU shrugged, and Britain sputtered in confusion. Conservatives in America had a similar situation. They disengaged, separated their states economically as much as possible, which meant relying overwhelmingly on blue state tax money, and then when blue states kept right on humming, they suddenly had a crisis of self. 'What if we're not actually that important?' they asked, and that simply couldn't be.
In the mind of the Trumpian conservative, going back at least to 2010, it is inconceivable that Kansas' economic plan failed and California's works. It is impossible that Florida is mired in endless problems and New York hasn't collapsed yet. They are told, and believe, that blue states are apocalyptic hellscapes where blue haired karens lecture the population on gender theory, but this doesn't gel with the fact that these places are, somehow, still around.
In other words, George Will is one of the conservatives who didn't understand his own voters or his own party. I knew that the GOP was doomed in 2008 when McCain had to tell a voter that no, Obama wasn't a secret muslim bent on destroying America because he was black. How anyone saw that and went 'I'm sure this party is going to be fine' is absurd. The progressive movement has problems, big ones in some cases, but the Democratic party is a functional institution with lots of interest groups. The GOP is a monolithic, cult like entity that believes that the apocolypse for liberals is tomorrow, and they are gleefully waiting for it to happen.
And the woman McCain corrected said “Arab,” though she probably meant “Muslim” and maybe didn’t know there’s a big difference—bigotry so blind—and his answer was “No, m’am, he’s a good man,” or something like that, which was well meaning but cringeworthy. They all, we all, stumble. // Sure do appreciate your thoughtful critique about George Will’s remarks.
Thank you for so clearly explaining this. My blood boiled when I read what George Will said on Charlie’s first show (and he recently said Biden was an authoritarian). It is so hard to be optimistic in these times and we need clear voices that can somehow be heard widely.
I am a life long Democrat-exactly Charlie’s age-and I never would have predicted how much I have come to rely on, learn from and just plain enjoy this group of former Republicans at the Bulwark. Charlie, your podcast is the only one I listen to daily. Your guests are first rate and your interview skills bring out the best in your guests. I also read your daily newsletter, especially your Cheap Shots, which could be funny and infuriating/sad at the same time. I will stick with the Bulwark, but I will miss you terribly. For all these years, as I watched our country get more insane, cruel and just plain stupid, you gave me a community of people who remind me we’re not the crazy ones.
Taxes are the cost of living in a civil society. I’m going to miss it. A lot of people, even MAGAs are going to miss it too, but they lack the intellectual honesty (or capacity) to see what’s coming.
And just like Brexit, the right wing dabbling in destruction will be irreversible this time. There will be no opportunity for “Oops! Lesson learned!”. We are playing with “Game Over.” “The End”. “Finished”.
We're doomed. I live in CA so maybe I'll be insulated. I'll just have to stop reading any news. I'm too old to worry about RoevWade, and I can just hang out and watch the waves rolling in.
I don't know if it's been a while since you've posted, or just that I've missed your posts. Glad to see you return for Charlie's farewell. You did not disappoint.
Two things. One, I'll certainly miss your morning shots, even if we didn't always agree. I have always liked reading your rundowns of things in the morning.
Two, I think we have to admit that George Will's idea, that Trump was a response to progressives, is part of the reason that the GOP and conservatism became what it is today. That response to something being bad in your own party being 'actually, it's not us, it's them that did this' means that you're never culpable for what happens on your watch.
The GOP spent the better part of thirty years creating alternate institutions, alternate news sources, cultivating anti-government and anti-intellectual sentiment, and the result was that when someone came in and took over, the machine they built kept right on running as normal. There's a pretty big line between reagan saying that the worst words were 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help' and Trump claiming that the government is actively evil and must be destroyed. There's a pretty direct line between guys like O'Reilly and Beck railing about conspiracies and crime families and Trump and his followers taking that literally.
Progressives, such as they are, did not turn conservatives into paranoid, insular, xenophobic nutjobs. They did that themselves. They deliberately decided to disengage from the wider culture in the 1980s, gained setbacks in the 1990s when they failed to impeach Bill Clinton and pass their agenda during W. Bush's term, and when they finally looked around again during the Obama years, gazed upon a world that they didn't recognize.
It's not unlike the British Brexit movement, where British conservatives expected to leave the EU, and that the EU would beg them to stay. Only, that's not what happened. They left, the EU shrugged, and Britain sputtered in confusion. Conservatives in America had a similar situation. They disengaged, separated their states economically as much as possible, which meant relying overwhelmingly on blue state tax money, and then when blue states kept right on humming, they suddenly had a crisis of self. 'What if we're not actually that important?' they asked, and that simply couldn't be.
In the mind of the Trumpian conservative, going back at least to 2010, it is inconceivable that Kansas' economic plan failed and California's works. It is impossible that Florida is mired in endless problems and New York hasn't collapsed yet. They are told, and believe, that blue states are apocalyptic hellscapes where blue haired karens lecture the population on gender theory, but this doesn't gel with the fact that these places are, somehow, still around.
In other words, George Will is one of the conservatives who didn't understand his own voters or his own party. I knew that the GOP was doomed in 2008 when McCain had to tell a voter that no, Obama wasn't a secret muslim bent on destroying America because he was black. How anyone saw that and went 'I'm sure this party is going to be fine' is absurd. The progressive movement has problems, big ones in some cases, but the Democratic party is a functional institution with lots of interest groups. The GOP is a monolithic, cult like entity that believes that the apocolypse for liberals is tomorrow, and they are gleefully waiting for it to happen.
And the woman McCain corrected said “Arab,” though she probably meant “Muslim” and maybe didn’t know there’s a big difference—bigotry so blind—and his answer was “No, m’am, he’s a good man,” or something like that, which was well meaning but cringeworthy. They all, we all, stumble. // Sure do appreciate your thoughtful critique about George Will’s remarks.
Thank you for so clearly explaining this. My blood boiled when I read what George Will said on Charlie’s first show (and he recently said Biden was an authoritarian). It is so hard to be optimistic in these times and we need clear voices that can somehow be heard widely.
I am a life long Democrat-exactly Charlie’s age-and I never would have predicted how much I have come to rely on, learn from and just plain enjoy this group of former Republicans at the Bulwark. Charlie, your podcast is the only one I listen to daily. Your guests are first rate and your interview skills bring out the best in your guests. I also read your daily newsletter, especially your Cheap Shots, which could be funny and infuriating/sad at the same time. I will stick with the Bulwark, but I will miss you terribly. For all these years, as I watched our country get more insane, cruel and just plain stupid, you gave me a community of people who remind me we’re not the crazy ones.
Thank you and enjoy your next adventure!
Perfect analysis 👏🏻👏🏻
Taxes are the cost of living in a civil society. I’m going to miss it. A lot of people, even MAGAs are going to miss it too, but they lack the intellectual honesty (or capacity) to see what’s coming.
And just like Brexit, the right wing dabbling in destruction will be irreversible this time. There will be no opportunity for “Oops! Lesson learned!”. We are playing with “Game Over.” “The End”. “Finished”.
Bravo, Shawn. Your comments are A++. So accurate.
We're doomed. I live in CA so maybe I'll be insulated. I'll just have to stop reading any news. I'm too old to worry about RoevWade, and I can just hang out and watch the waves rolling in.
I don't know if it's been a while since you've posted, or just that I've missed your posts. Glad to see you return for Charlie's farewell. You did not disappoint.
wow, this is excellent writing and thesis
Very well articulated. Bravo 👏