The Authoritarian Progressive Impulse
Exra Klein, the left-wing editor of the left-wing Vox.com, thinks China’s one-party authoritarian state is a more inspiring model for aspiring countries than America’s loud messy constitutional Republic.
Imagine you’re a small country charting a path between Chinese-style autocracy and American-style democracy — which many are right now. How appealing does our model look to you at the moment?
Certainly, if you’re part of the ruling, political class in those countries and you want to crush your opposition and send them to camps, China looks pretty good. If you’re not part of the ruling class and you aspire to improve your condition and take control over your destiny, America would look better. It’s bitterly clear which of these Mr. Klein identifies himself with.
Mr. Klein loves authoritarianism because Democracy keeps thwarting the Grand Vision of the coastal elites; which for someone like Ezra Klein means imposing one-party progressivism on the entire country: A centrally-planned political economy, Canadian-style bureaucratized health care, a “social justice” based legal system, open borders with instant citizenship, outlawing the private ownership of firearms, and all the other elements imposed from above by those who think they know what’s best for everybody.
But their dreams keep getting thwarted or at least compromised because too many people don’t want to live in their progressive utopia. Some people like the opportunities of the free market and have seen how planned political economies have failed. Some people think that their culture is worth preserving against an onslaught of third world migrants importing theirs. Some people just resent bureaucratic busybodies telling them what to do; it’s what most of our ancestors left other places to get away from.
The place in America that has come closest to realizing Ezra Klein’s Authoritarian Progressive dream is the state of California. Through the mass import of third world culture coupled with progressive authoritarian power grabs, California has effectively become a one-party ultra-progressive state. And the authoritarian impulse runs strong, such that the California Attorney General has declared his intention to prosecute citizens for aiding the Federal Government in enforcing democratically enacted immigration laws. Authoritarian progressives in California are also scheming to confiscate the proceeds from the recent Trump enacted corporate tax cuts.
The type of authoritarianism espoused by Mr. Klein has never resulted in the utopia of his dreams; rather it tends to produce conditions allegedly described by President Trump in a colorful metaphor used in a private meeting on immigration policy.
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Yeah, but even many Californians have had enough and now want to separate from the coastal elite idiocy as the state of New California.It’s about damn time!
Comment by Rex — January 19, 2018 @ 11:01 am - January 19, 2018
And funnily enough, some Californians think that Antonio Sabato, Jr. is unfit for running for office – as a Republican – because he showed his naughty parts in some movies:
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-antonio-sabato-congress-20180116-story.html
Whatever.
Regards,
Peter H.
Comment by Peter Hughes — January 19, 2018 @ 11:38 am - January 19, 2018
His “naughty bits”? For us gays-of-a-certain-age he’s an icon. I was so disappointed when he proved to be resolutely heterosexual…but he took the attention in good-fun, no “icky” excuses or cheap teases unlike a few other models and actors. Yes, I mean you Thierry….
Comment by Ted B. (Charging Rhino) — January 19, 2018 @ 2:42 pm - January 19, 2018
liberals are tyrants and oppressors. liberals don’t want the freedom to live the way they want they want the power to make everyone else live the way they want.
Comment by salg — January 19, 2018 @ 3:27 pm - January 19, 2018
Comment by Ted B. (Charging Rhino) — January 19, 2018 @ 4:57 pm - January 19, 2018
has anyone at gay patriot heard about a fisa memo because the democrat party-media complex hasn’t.
Comment by salg — January 19, 2018 @ 5:08 pm - January 19, 2018
Klein, et al, sure seem to think that only doubleplus goodthink people will hold the levers of power.
Comment by KCRob — January 19, 2018 @ 5:37 pm - January 19, 2018
Well, we’re not even sure president Trump ever used that term — reason being our dear pseudo-Democrats / True-Commies excel in the ages-old art of lying-for-the-end-justifies-the-means.
But true it is, your point remains empirically valid — easily.
Comment by Cyril J (aka CJ) — January 19, 2018 @ 8:48 pm - January 19, 2018
@5
Eloquent rhymes rock —
Thank you for that one.
Comment by Cyril J (aka CJ) — January 19, 2018 @ 8:51 pm - January 19, 2018
Proof we are loving ones —
A Loving Dédicace to Linda, Ezra, et al.
https://youtu.be/cruRyoo2xiE
😀
Comment by Cyril J (aka CJ) — January 19, 2018 @ 9:53 pm - January 19, 2018
Also, could someone — anyone — please have president Trump to experimentally utter this man’s words —
https://youtu.be/q9ZSII3qADI
if only for me to enjoy the epilectic seizure of our favorite leftist do-gooders?
I would literally be happy to pay for that.
Comment by Cyril J (aka CJ) — January 19, 2018 @ 10:51 pm - January 19, 2018
Last year was only the beginning, the leftists and their promotion of third-world hell holes and their ideology of non individualism, know that in their feeble bones. Another Storm is Coming.
Klein is a fool. Continued and accelerated insults from the left guarantee that a kill shot is being prepared. History and Human Nature are quite clear about this. The royalists Among Us will lose once again.
Comment by Hanover — January 20, 2018 @ 1:05 am - January 20, 2018
Sorry to be vulgar, but I’m willing to bet that Klein has spent himself over pictures of Tiananmen Square.
Comment by Sean L — January 20, 2018 @ 8:31 am - January 20, 2018
“…by those who think they know what’s best for everybody.”
Can we do away with this formulation? They don’t think they know what’s best. Rather, they claim to know what’s best. That way they can grab more power.
Comment by Marc Whinston — January 20, 2018 @ 10:49 am - January 20, 2018
Almost any republic over ANY peoples’s republic.
Comment by Dav — January 20, 2018 @ 12:06 pm - January 20, 2018
6.Salg
Don’t know about anyone else, but yes, I’ve heard about the FISA Memo. Grandstanding by certain GOP congresseman aside…I’ll wait to make any further comments until I see all 4 pages of this “memo”.
Also, unless it would show intelligence gathering methods…I really really REALLY want to know WHY THE F*&K it is Top Secret.
Comment by Lobogris — January 20, 2018 @ 1:19 pm - January 20, 2018
Speaking of Peoples Republic, today is the anniversary of the Women’s March. It was celebrated in the major progressive enclaves in my state, the Peoples Republic of Massachusetts.
https://turtleboysports.com/thousands-of-northampton-white-people-protest-for-womens-rights-they-already-have-by-yelling-black-lives-matter-black-people-not-invited/
Comment by James — January 20, 2018 @ 6:09 pm - January 20, 2018
I refuse to be intimidated by progressives holding votive candles aloft. [/pathetic]
Votive candles? Really??…. Home Depot was out of Tikki Lamps?
These are candles!
Comment by Ted B. (Charging Rhino) — January 21, 2018 @ 12:43 am - January 21, 2018
@9: Sean – two up-votes for that one.
Comment by KCRob — January 21, 2018 @ 11:14 am - January 21, 2018
I wonder if the upswing in Puppy-Play is related to older gays finding today’s twinks simply should JUST NOT SPEAK! Seen but not heard. Gag them, take away their car-keys, send them to their rooms… Brats!
Comment by Ted B. (Charging Rhino) — January 21, 2018 @ 1:47 pm - January 21, 2018
Tiki® torches are rayciss, dontcha know? But the items they are holding aren’t even votive candles—they’re LED tealights, available by the bag at Party America and around the holidaze at Targét. Which take non-renewable disposable batteries that add to the solid waste problem the treehuggers keep telling us will be solved by the elimination of all shopping bags and by the transport of reusable bamboo crates to each individual store (not unlike the average Third World country where most consumer products in the US are produced).
But hey, whatever it takes to show the world that the policies of the Russian stooge in the White House are something they disagree with.
Comment by RSG — January 21, 2018 @ 6:07 pm - January 21, 2018
For those interested, here is a link to net state migration rates. It is interesting to see which states have net negative rates and who has net positive rates.
Comment by Cas — January 21, 2018 @ 10:00 pm - January 21, 2018
Q: What happens when
“Democrats”socialists run your state?A: Well, this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn1fxChSbYk
Comment by Cyril — January 22, 2018 @ 2:36 am - January 22, 2018
Democracy only works in nations with an avg IQ over 90
The Chinese style corruption (with shooting blacks on strike) will be a far better fit for Africa than white colonialism.
Comment by Steve — January 22, 2018 @ 1:40 pm - January 22, 2018
Democracy (as we Americans understand it) only works when there is sufficient trust that even if you candidate’s opponent win, it’s survivable both politically and existentially. In part this is a legacy of the Anglospheric traditions.
2008; “Ok, McCain lost and Obama won. I’ll survive and we’ll have a chance again in 2012.” No pogroms, no confiscations, no death squads or suspensions of the Rule of Law. (In a general sense…)
Without that stability, Democracy fails. And that’s why is doesn’t work in the Third World. The tribalism, the fanaticism, the corruption dooms it to replays of Cuba, Zimbabwe and Venezuela and several score of other Third World shitholes.
Or you have family dictatorships with Rule of Law like Korea, Singapore and Tawain that tarrnsition to greater democracy. Or One-Man, One-vote, One-time democracies like South Africa, Argentina, or another score or two with Presidents-for-life or National Ruling Institutional Parties.
Comment by Ted B. (Charging Rhino) — January 23, 2018 @ 5:19 pm - January 23, 2018