Ruy Teixeira: No, Democracy is Not on the Ballot

   Teixiera is an old blue-team strategist who has come to see and admit that his (former?) team has lost its shit.

   The Blue Team has convinced itself that Trump is a threat at a fundamental level--he is a threat to democracy. Of course, Trump made this view rational on 1/6/21. Needless to say, not being Hitler, he's never as bad as they say he is. But his actions after the election and surrounding the riot were way, way over the line. Put him out of consideration, IMO.

   However, I also think that the Blue Team is a much bigger and even more fundamental threat--e.g., most prominently, to free speech. Trump's one stupid spasm did nothing but help the Blues. The Blue Team's relentless attacks on free speech, however, have been very effective. They've succeeded in stifling speech, e.g. by colluding with social media platforms, and they're well on their way to institutionalizing their highly-partisan and anti-speech views on "disinformation." They've managed to stifle expression by informal means as well, but promoting political correctness and cancel culture. They informally control what can and can't be said at universities--and, increasingly, in other institutions.

   And that's not even to mention the even more fundamental issues of political correctness per se, Lysenkoism, relativism, and general subordination of the epistemic to the political...

   Anyway: yes, though Trump is beyond the pale in some respects, the left is, IMO, beyond the pale in at least equally important--and perhaps more important--respects. 

   So we face a choice between two unacceptable options.

   All we can really do is try to figure out which unacceptable option is worse.

   Again: the left is good at it, and is well on its way to undermining fundamental liberal and American principles. Trump is bad at it. It's appalling that we have to choose between Trump and the radical, irrationalist, illiberal left. But here we are. Trump already threw is tantrum and it did nothing but hurt his side. Even if he were to win this year, he couldn't do it again in '28--he wouldn't be eligible to win again. The left's efforts, however, have been stunningly successful and are ongoing.

   Obviously, I could be wrong.

   Nobody's got very strong ground to stand on about this battle of the craptastic crackpots.

   As I've said many times: I now think of this as a battle between two future administrations, not two men. We know that a Democrat administration (no matter who the front man is) will take us several more miles down the road to the dystopian progressive utopia. Once you've subordinated facts and evidence to radical politics, there's no limit to the havoc you can wreak. Fifteen years ago, no one would believe that the flagship plank in the Democrat platform would be Women have penises... Trump's a loon...but more or less a mid-90s Blue Team loon. At least he's still vaguely tethered to reality. So we can let the Blue Team keep the wheel, and be assured that four years from now we'll be deeper into the anarchic madness of Crazy Town...or we can hand the wheel to the nutty reality-show salesman and conman who at least knows that we need to turn this shit around and get the hell out of here...even though we know he's likely to crash off of some other cars...and trees...and buildings and shit on the way... Though--he did a pretty good job last time. He didn't do enough, and didn't save us from the nutters...but he didn't wreck us, either...contrary to what the Blues assured us he'd do...

   Supporting Trump is likely to be the wrong/stupid thing to do...but at this point, it's sort of every man for himself--we've each got to take our best guess at which stupid course of action will screw up the nation the least.