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Bluetus

(3,129 posts)
10. Maybe we should think beyond R/D, Lib/Con ...
Mon May 25, 2026, 09:08 PM
Monday

I know people like Massie and Liz Cheney believe in some things many of us could never get on board with.. But I listen a bit to Graham Platner. His message isn't particularly liberal or conservative. It is POPULIST. ANd so is Mamdani's

In a world dominated by evil bastards like Theil, Ellison, Trump, Musk, Bezoz, Zuckerberg, populism is going to be the winner. Most people don't understand that Trump's message has most been populism. He talked about "the swamp" and "the deep state". He talked about the cost of "forever wars". Those messages are popular. It is just that Trump was lying. The only thing Trump believes in is making money for himself by any and all means. The fact that Trump is still getting away with that tells us how strong the populist message is.

There has always been a strong element of "I'm mad as hell, even if I can't tell you why." Populists tap into that. In Massie's case, it seems to be the Epstein thing more than anything else.

I am simply suggesting that some of us may have more in common with people like Massie than we do with the "reach across the aisle" Dems who never seem to take positions on any of the most important issues. I am not suggesting that we will find ourselves in the same party with Massie any time soon. But that is mostly because the "reach across the aisle" Dems leave us with a great deal of inertia that is hard to overcome.

I do look at other democracies that have many parties that somehow find ways to form coalitions to make progress. We could use some of that, Like I'd trade Fetterman for Murkowsky in a heartbeat.

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