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Two-Feet-On-The-Ground's avatar

"How bad can it be, really, that Trump plans to purge governmental bloat, and now we have Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy in charge of DOGE: Department of Government Efficiency. Elon just tweeted that there are 428 government agencies and he thinks it can be reduced to 99."

I have no love for Trump or Musk. I cannot fathom what Musk might do to the economy to implement his "efficiency" plans. How bad can it be? Mr Shermer, you haven't convinced me! Nether Musk nor Trump are men of good character. (And neither is Joe Rogan.) I strongly doubt their moral fortitude. So I think it's safe to assume they probably would take the country South just to further their personal (emotional, financial, and just plain egotistical) gain. The problem with the new Republican party is that they do not represent much value that I can take stock in. I hope that the incoming administration doesn't F things up. But when they do, I will gleefully vote them out of office. Now it's like one of the ailments that only time will tell the outcome. We are on the Watch and Wait plan. Best wishes!

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Science Does Not Care's avatar

Since we are stuck with a two-party system, which seems to encourage more extreme partisan positions and candidates, I enjoy looking for asymmetries.

First, in the 2024 election, plenty of people on both sides of the electorate voted against Trump or Harris as much as for them. But I bet that most people voting against Trump were voting against him as an individual, while people voting against Harris were voting against the Democratic Party agenda. Thus Democrats really do need to reflect and, IMO, reject many of the policies that most Americans don't want.

Second, and related to the first, right now the major parties differ in their desire for change. Some of this is institutional. Almost by definition, progressives want change while conservatives do not. But I am thinking of a more personal and intuitive level. Call it mind your own business or live and let live. I am old enough to remember when the Democrat brand supported personal autonomy while Republicans pushed official conformity. Now it is the opposite. Want to reduce animosity and even hatred of your ideology? Stop insisting that everyone else embrace it.

My third asymmetry also reflects evolving party character. I see Democrats now more by and for the elite classes, including wealthy people and industries, while Republicans have gone populist and bonded with working class people. And despite the rhetoric, Trump's voters were more diverse than Harris'.

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