For several years, one of most annoying (and misleading) aspects of American political debate has been the insistence of participants on defining our differences as “left” and “right.” The MAGA cult, especially, has delighted in portraying all non-MAGA Americans as hated “libruls,” and–far from challenging their policy preferences–has displayed a child-like delight in “owning the libs,” seemingly unconcerned that their “successes” in that effort tend to hurt them more than their targets.
America’s liberals have historically been far more centrist and un-ideological than those in European countries, but today, the terminology simply fails to convey the reality of MAGA versus everyone else. So it may be useful to ask ourselves a question: In today’s political environment, what constitutes the “Left”?
Two paragraphs–an aside, really– from one of Heather Cox Richardson’s recent “Letters” provides an accurate answer to that question. While Richardson’s letter wasn’t focused on political language, the introduction to her discussion of the Trump administration’s devotion to Project 2025 aptly captured the essence of today’s political divide:
The craziness going on around us in the first two months of the second Trump administration makes a lot more sense if you remember that the goal of those currently in power was never simply to change the policies or the personnel of the U.S. government. Their goal is to dismantle the central pillars of the United States of America—government, law, business, education, culture, and so on—because they believe the very shape of those institutions serves what they call “the Left.”
Their definition of “the Left” includes all Americans, Republicans and Independents as well as Democrats, who believe the government has a role to play in regulating business, providing a basic social safety net, promoting infrastructure, and protecting civil rights and who support the institutional structures Americans have built since World War II.
Let me repeat that second paragraph, because it is an incredibly important description of our current reality:
Their definition of “the Left” includes all Americans, Republicans and Independents as well as Democrats, who believe the government has a role to play in regulating business, providing a basic social safety net, promoting infrastructure, and protecting civil rights and who support the institutional structures Americans have built since World War II.
The differences that existed between Left and Right when I was first involved in politics were far different than they are today. The Republican Party in which I worked for some 35 years (a party that no longer exists) had firm principles about the proper, limited uses of government power and authority. Admittedly, that party had its far-Right fringe, just as the Democrats had its collectivist-Left, but the GOP’s establishment was generally successful in isolating the Christian Nationalists and neo-Nazis that have always been in its midst.
Back then, establishment Republicans and Democrats argued about policy–about what constituted the proper and improper uses of government power, and/or the efficient/effective management of government programs.
What should government do about the struggle of poor families to feed their children? Should ameliorative efforts be left to the voluntary sector? To the states? If the federal government should be involved, how should its programs be fashioned?
When it came to foreign affairs, there was broad agreement that policy squabbles should not extend beyond the ocean’s edge–and a common commitment to a government that stood by America’s allies and promoted peace and democracy abroad. It’s true–and unfortunate– that America’s leaders too often misused the nation’s power and lost sight of the country’s fundamental philosophical commitments, but never in our history did either party heedlessly and overtly side with the country’s enemies over our allies.
Our internal fights to extend civil rights did tend to break down over party lines, but when I was an active Republican, the vast majority of Republicans I worked with rejected racism and agreed that the nation’s laws should be applied evenly and fairly. Today, MAGA Republicans’ devotion to Donald Trump rests largely on their wholehearted support of his efforts to take the country back to the days of Jim Crow.
Bottom line: The “libs” that MAGA delights in “owning” are the Americans who believe in retaining a government that operates under the Constitution and respects the rule of law. Full stop. We may disagree strongly about aspects of that operation, about the extent of federal authority, about the optimum contours of our social safety net, over what constitutes “merit”–but today, the “Left” that MAGA hates is composed of all conservatives and liberals who believe in retaining a government that answers to We the People.
According to MAGA, any American who wants to retain our democratic republic is a Leftist.
We just had this conversation locally in an FB group forum focused on our Indiana county, which includes the government. A former Gannett journalist actively participates in city and county affairs and posts what’s happening. The discussions can get lively at times.
The group owner/moderator is independent and wrote an excellent observation of the Victoria Spartz “town hall” in Muncie. The reason she bucked the advice of Speaker Johnson not to hold town halls was to use her constituent’s displeasure against them or confirmation that “radical lefties” would show up and make an ass of themselves even though most of the energized base were retired folks scared about their SS and Medicare being cut.
Her perspective was an honest appraisal condemning the congresswoman and those in attendance for their behavior. Rightly, she said they played right into Spartz’s and Republican hands. We became political fodder for the MAGA politicians in the news and social media.
As I know all too often, she got slammed by the MAGA members for being a “leftist” and turning the group into a “group for liberals.” I used to read the same complaints from readers of Gannett’s IndyStar. That was almost a decade ago! Who could accuse a Gannett rag of being aligned with liberals? LOL
You’re either MAGA or liberal—a leftist. Today, a MAGA means a loyalist to Donald Trump. He is MAGA. It’s elementary. Musk is MAGA because he’s a loyalist to Trump. Trump is truth. Trump is a real patriot. Sadly, these MAGATs want our elected officials – the people’s representatives – to be loyal to Trump. ‘Do not question dear leader, for he is always right.’
The bottom line to me is that you are either a member of MAGA and loyal to the leader, or you’re not an American. Whatever adjective they use means un-American. I think our intellectuals overcomplicate this elementary concept. It’s nothing more than a cult.
p.s. I don’t know if this is a Fox News hoax or OANN, but “Hitler formed the National Socialist Party, and therefore, he was a leftist.” Can you imagine claiming that Hitler was a wokester? LOL
Putting a positive spin on right-wing thinking as defined in Project 2025: Business provides, government takes away.
Viewed from the perspective of our Constitution, the government is a necessary organization to protect everyone’s rights.
Viewed from the perspective of most professions over the years, while it was once questionable, experience has shown that the Constitution was a brilliant definition of government. Until this year, it has been tested by many world conditions and not found wanting. After all, we were the most comfortable and safest humans on the planet, though not the happiest.
Our situation, viewed from the perspective of the vast majority of free people in the world today, is that the formerly united States of mid-North America was the standard of success, but it is rapidly failing and has become a threat to the success of our species.
I read where the disgusting and egregious Stephen Miller told a TV host that the deportations should continue without interference from the courts or due process of the law. He again voiced what Trump has said and hinted at: The “law” resides in the White House and with Trump. Period. That’s called a putsch in some circles. I wouldn’t exactly call it a coup, but it’s close.
The main difference between Hitler and Trump is that Hitler had competent bureaucrats around him. Trump has only incompetent amateur ass-kissers.
How will it end? I like Mary Shelley’s final chapter in her famous book.
The US’s shift from institutional politics to patrimonial (“the big boss”) politics is led by monied interests which control partisan media and which organize and heavily fund pro-elite PACs.
They’ve always recognized they personally gain more under a banana republic.
The history of the past 45 years is them engineering their ability to corrupt institutions in order to de-bureaucratize public administration and privatize public goods.
This includes giving themselves cover and political access by corrupting the media to gaslight and groom the public into a win/lose identity-politics paradigm.
Orange Jesus has said he wants generals like Hitler’s. We have finally found an area of agreement. I also wish he had generals like Hitler’s generals. The only difference is I wish the generals more success in their endeavors.
There is an old saying that goes “He who makes the definitions has the power.” One possible good outcome from this coming weekend’s demonstrations would be showing that those who oppose Trump’s efforts are simply ordinary citizens, even ordinary citizens who would like a return to a real “law and order.”
looking from my view. and conversation with with working class in my world, the magats all agree. and im still trying to figure it out. when asked about subjects like social securrity and foreign aid, they just agree with trump.they dont even have anything to say when asked a direct question. they have no clue of the ramifications of most any changes.they in mass agree with trump. few if any,ever read about the subject,and its vague what they want to say. the poor ive come across who follow trump just jibber something and look as though they want to figure out what liberal is gonna screw them next. im deep into how i see it. they get mindset and info passed on by yelling into everyones ear.this is communication and education to the magots.fact is, these people walk around most of the day stroking their phone looking to find another point to stick into their minds about liberals. the right wing medias free ink is stoking most of this shit.everyday,from people i work with,unkowingly in most cases stop me somewhere and show me WTFs they are looking at, haha, and its rightwing propaganda in the form of screwing someone for gain.they think they are free from this takeover.. there are bery few of the magots ive ever had a one on one conversation who knew what they just voted for. im talking about small buisness owners and people with families. there are no facts,just jibberish and a closed mind to anything beyond ease of finding something to justify they are right. as i see the weeks piling up. America will be privatized. if you want it. wall streets greed factory is ready. it will now be profitable to screw the people, all of them..hey,you voted for this,right?
Vern:
something like taking pieces and making a monster? yea, all pieces of..except they use free and open media to ignite it..
Re: election results. The much tormented bear has awakened.
I think a driver of the MAGAt and MUSKrat train wreck is the concept that the definition of whom “WE THE PEOPLE” are has changed. The People are now those who by eductional attainment, or lack thereof, feel they have been ignored as the rest of society moved on. They are, by and large, the inhabitants of the areas Professor Hick so accurately describes in his articles, and their progeny who have moved to the cities but brought along with them their lack of attainment. This group is manipulated by some very rich and very powerful people who use the others as force multipliers as the power class goes about reshaping laws and societal expectations to allow them to keep more of what they have, and to shift all sorts of burdens on their “People.” BUt their “People” don’t realize it. It is bread and circus time, and the spectators in the stands yelling the loudest don’t realize what is being done. Or how it will impact them. Again, I reference Professor Hick’s recent articles on the subject.
Which leaves the “other side”, Classic Republicans (RINOs?) and the moderate and progressive wings of society, to bear the burdens of a battle to not only protect our interest in a social organization that promotes the public welfare, but to protect the interests of the duped class that is both in thrall to, and threatened by, the MAGAts and MUSKrats.
Of course, that’s just my opinion…I could be wrong.
We are living in, and suffering from, Trump’s final and greatest bankruptcy.
Perhaps Musk’s first bankruptcy too.
In every case bankruptcy is turning over what leadership broke, their failure, the cost of their failure, to those who believed in their success.
They are gathering power by performing on the stage of entertainment media. They like power but are resistant to learning the vast amount of human knowledge homo sapiens have come to know from the hard work of what is billed as the Scientific Method which really applies to all professions.
The Legal Profession understands the basis for all our laws and what has been built on that foundation over 250 years and guided a nation now 340,000,000 strong to realizing the goals of the Preamble.
We were a success but far from perfection.
The wheels of change and progress to maintain a successful adaptation to the environment we have largely created has no end.
National moral and financial bankruptcy are threats to be resisted with all of our considerable might. The storm of change being inflicted on us will inevitably damage and hurt most of us, but from the pain of national bankruptcy will come the energy, courage and unity to rebuild what once was, was taken away, and will be built back better.
For the record, I want what Pete is smoking!
Jk
Did you see the 25 second video of Jim Banks telling a constituent he deserved to be fired from his HHS job last month? He was in an elevator in DC and told the guy talking that he probably deserved it because he seemed like a clown. It’s on video! It’s disgusting and Indiana Hoosiers need to stand up and remove that guy. Apparently, he doesn’t realize he’s the clown and is a public servant too. F* that guy. Come on Hoosiers, remove that b.s. Senator. He just won the election and you’re stuck with him until 2030.
Everything that comes out of Jim Banks mouth lately to me proves he’s a smug a**hole.
The people got one victory yesterday in Wisconsin when Musk and all of his money LOST the Supreme Court election. It is now possible that said court could order a re-examination of the Legislatures gross gerrymander.
Here’s hoping!