@testotestotesto.bsky.social
Minor point but why do leftists think it's persuasive to load up every sentence with a bunch of feverish, overwrought language?
"the capitalist system COLLAPSED", "the victims were left to SUFFER"
"the capitalist system COLLAPSED", "the victims were left to SUFFER"
November 12, 2025 at 6:21 AM
Minor point but why do leftists think it's persuasive to load up every sentence with a bunch of feverish, overwrought language?
"the capitalist system COLLAPSED", "the victims were left to SUFFER"
"the capitalist system COLLAPSED", "the victims were left to SUFFER"
Making an appeal to a special interest group is something you signal discretely but much of our current era is defined by an inability to separate out behind-closed-doors rhetoric from stump speech rhetoric.
MAGA talking about fent addicts as this cherish, important demographic is another example.
MAGA talking about fent addicts as this cherish, important demographic is another example.
November 10, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Making an appeal to a special interest group is something you signal discretely but much of our current era is defined by an inability to separate out behind-closed-doors rhetoric from stump speech rhetoric.
MAGA talking about fent addicts as this cherish, important demographic is another example.
MAGA talking about fent addicts as this cherish, important demographic is another example.
The whole Bernie/DSA/etc movement was very effective at transmuting the inferiority complexes of failed elites into a theory of political economy where a vast starving underclass is always just right out of frame.
November 10, 2025 at 6:24 AM
The whole Bernie/DSA/etc movement was very effective at transmuting the inferiority complexes of failed elites into a theory of political economy where a vast starving underclass is always just right out of frame.
That's why so much of the modern populist left is cargo-culting the New Deal.
Neobrandeis and degrowth grifters don't understand that you need at least a plurality of the country's main economic decision-makers in your corner to build a winning political coalition.
Neobrandeis and degrowth grifters don't understand that you need at least a plurality of the country's main economic decision-makers in your corner to build a winning political coalition.
November 10, 2025 at 3:42 AM
That's why so much of the modern populist left is cargo-culting the New Deal.
Neobrandeis and degrowth grifters don't understand that you need at least a plurality of the country's main economic decision-makers in your corner to build a winning political coalition.
Neobrandeis and degrowth grifters don't understand that you need at least a plurality of the country's main economic decision-makers in your corner to build a winning political coalition.
The New Deal is best understood as trading legally-protected profit margins for firms in exchange for welfare state expansion & labor protections for workers.
Unit banking, the Bell monopoly, MIC, the ICC, etc were just as fundamental to the era as the Wagner Act
Unit banking, the Bell monopoly, MIC, the ICC, etc were just as fundamental to the era as the Wagner Act
November 10, 2025 at 3:37 AM
The New Deal is best understood as trading legally-protected profit margins for firms in exchange for welfare state expansion & labor protections for workers.
Unit banking, the Bell monopoly, MIC, the ICC, etc were just as fundamental to the era as the Wagner Act
Unit banking, the Bell monopoly, MIC, the ICC, etc were just as fundamental to the era as the Wagner Act
The average Brit hasn't experienced American healthcare at all, which is why you compare the actual experience of using the NHS rather than their nebulous biases.
Majority of Americans not on Medicare/Medicaid have great employer plans, which is why single payer struggles with mass appeal.
Majority of Americans not on Medicare/Medicaid have great employer plans, which is why single payer struggles with mass appeal.
November 10, 2025 at 3:00 AM
The average Brit hasn't experienced American healthcare at all, which is why you compare the actual experience of using the NHS rather than their nebulous biases.
Majority of Americans not on Medicare/Medicaid have great employer plans, which is why single payer struggles with mass appeal.
Majority of Americans not on Medicare/Medicaid have great employer plans, which is why single payer struggles with mass appeal.
The reason is 1) progs are mostly downwardly mobile college grads who assume everyone shares their experience and 2) they're including Veblen goods in CPI
November 10, 2025 at 2:37 AM
The reason is 1) progs are mostly downwardly mobile college grads who assume everyone shares their experience and 2) they're including Veblen goods in CPI
Progressives should ask the average Brit about their experience with the NHS recently and compare that with going to an urgent care here
November 10, 2025 at 2:31 AM
Progressives should ask the average Brit about their experience with the NHS recently and compare that with going to an urgent care here
Healthcare is vastly overstated as a factor because most millennials have indexed to aughts/early 2010s when healthcare as a share of GDP was rocketing up.
Americans spend more on HC b/c of exogenous factors (obesity, gun violence, etc) + b/c we're consuming more/better HC than our peers.
Americans spend more on HC b/c of exogenous factors (obesity, gun violence, etc) + b/c we're consuming more/better HC than our peers.
November 10, 2025 at 2:30 AM
Healthcare is vastly overstated as a factor because most millennials have indexed to aughts/early 2010s when healthcare as a share of GDP was rocketing up.
Americans spend more on HC b/c of exogenous factors (obesity, gun violence, etc) + b/c we're consuming more/better HC than our peers.
Americans spend more on HC b/c of exogenous factors (obesity, gun violence, etc) + b/c we're consuming more/better HC than our peers.
An understated factor among the zoomers is that college amenities are utterly insane now. The whiplash from that to living in a studio on an entry level salary is radicalizing.
November 10, 2025 at 2:24 AM
An understated factor among the zoomers is that college amenities are utterly insane now. The whiplash from that to living in a studio on an entry level salary is radicalizing.
The ask should've been to end the tariffs (to ensure there is no deal and the filibuster gets nuked)
November 10, 2025 at 2:19 AM
The ask should've been to end the tariffs (to ensure there is no deal and the filibuster gets nuked)
Also the New Deal was more pro-business than is commonly understood. The FDR era is best described as corporatist, with a lot of rent-seeking by incumbent firms & labor. It's the only reason FDR got away with his agenda!
The DSA left that hates economic growth & thinks business is icky has no shot.
The DSA left that hates economic growth & thinks business is icky has no shot.
November 10, 2025 at 2:13 AM
Also the New Deal was more pro-business than is commonly understood. The FDR era is best described as corporatist, with a lot of rent-seeking by incumbent firms & labor. It's the only reason FDR got away with his agenda!
The DSA left that hates economic growth & thinks business is icky has no shot.
The DSA left that hates economic growth & thinks business is icky has no shot.
Also the New Deal era coincided with insanely high growth due to monopolizing postwar manufacturing & a lot of lucky breaks in scientific progress. Inefficient policy was nbd.
But when you try New Deal policy in a low growth/profitability world it tends to not work out well (see: 1970s)
But when you try New Deal policy in a low growth/profitability world it tends to not work out well (see: 1970s)
November 10, 2025 at 2:08 AM
Also the New Deal era coincided with insanely high growth due to monopolizing postwar manufacturing & a lot of lucky breaks in scientific progress. Inefficient policy was nbd.
But when you try New Deal policy in a low growth/profitability world it tends to not work out well (see: 1970s)
But when you try New Deal policy in a low growth/profitability world it tends to not work out well (see: 1970s)
The biggest unknown is whether enhanced geothermal will be economically viable.
Dispatchable carbon-free energy that can reuse O&G boreholes & horizontal drilling rigs and can be sited in areas that aren't great for solar/wind seems like it should be a bigger deal.
Dispatchable carbon-free energy that can reuse O&G boreholes & horizontal drilling rigs and can be sited in areas that aren't great for solar/wind seems like it should be a bigger deal.
November 7, 2025 at 3:03 PM
The biggest unknown is whether enhanced geothermal will be economically viable.
Dispatchable carbon-free energy that can reuse O&G boreholes & horizontal drilling rigs and can be sited in areas that aren't great for solar/wind seems like it should be a bigger deal.
Dispatchable carbon-free energy that can reuse O&G boreholes & horizontal drilling rigs and can be sited in areas that aren't great for solar/wind seems like it should be a bigger deal.
I guess I don't see how "this stance on IP law is motivated by a disgust reaction and not consistent principles" is a nonsense critique then? Seems like a pretty fair critique!
November 7, 2025 at 6:04 AM
I guess I don't see how "this stance on IP law is motivated by a disgust reaction and not consistent principles" is a nonsense critique then? Seems like a pretty fair critique!
The true reason the left is making these IP arguments about AI is that when the conflict is torrenter vs RIAA/MPAA the torrenter is more sympathetic as "the little guy" and when it's freelance artists vs big tech it's the freelancers.
This isn't coming from a thoughtful approach to IP law lol
This isn't coming from a thoughtful approach to IP law lol
November 6, 2025 at 9:09 PM
The true reason the left is making these IP arguments about AI is that when the conflict is torrenter vs RIAA/MPAA the torrenter is more sympathetic as "the little guy" and when it's freelance artists vs big tech it's the freelancers.
This isn't coming from a thoughtful approach to IP law lol
This isn't coming from a thoughtful approach to IP law lol
The (historically left-of-center) argument against strong IP protections is that it hinders the development of derivative works.
AI output is more of a derivative work than a copy so that analogy doesn't really hold. In practice any restriction on AI training data use will restrict fair use too.
AI output is more of a derivative work than a copy so that analogy doesn't really hold. In practice any restriction on AI training data use will restrict fair use too.
November 6, 2025 at 9:04 PM
The (historically left-of-center) argument against strong IP protections is that it hinders the development of derivative works.
AI output is more of a derivative work than a copy so that analogy doesn't really hold. In practice any restriction on AI training data use will restrict fair use too.
AI output is more of a derivative work than a copy so that analogy doesn't really hold. In practice any restriction on AI training data use will restrict fair use too.
The reality is that blue collar workers don't give a shit about "reducing inequality". They care about CoL.
The left can't credibly promise welfare expansion w/out broad-based tax increases so this niche of punitively taxing the wealthy w/out welfare expansion is the path of least resistance.
The left can't credibly promise welfare expansion w/out broad-based tax increases so this niche of punitively taxing the wealthy w/out welfare expansion is the path of least resistance.
November 6, 2025 at 8:46 PM
The reality is that blue collar workers don't give a shit about "reducing inequality". They care about CoL.
The left can't credibly promise welfare expansion w/out broad-based tax increases so this niche of punitively taxing the wealthy w/out welfare expansion is the path of least resistance.
The left can't credibly promise welfare expansion w/out broad-based tax increases so this niche of punitively taxing the wealthy w/out welfare expansion is the path of least resistance.
People need to understand that normies view public policy questions the same way they view social etiquette disputes.
They are not looking at patent law as an impersonal rule-based system. They evaluate every policy question case-by-case on how sympathetic each party seems.
They are not looking at patent law as an impersonal rule-based system. They evaluate every policy question case-by-case on how sympathetic each party seems.
November 6, 2025 at 8:11 PM
People need to understand that normies view public policy questions the same way they view social etiquette disputes.
They are not looking at patent law as an impersonal rule-based system. They evaluate every policy question case-by-case on how sympathetic each party seems.
They are not looking at patent law as an impersonal rule-based system. They evaluate every policy question case-by-case on how sympathetic each party seems.
Instead of all these proxy battles about messaging, centrists should just be upfront and say that leftist governance is really toxic even if it can occasionally win an election.
If Bernie had won in 2020 we would currently be staring down a filibuster-proof GOP Senate
If Bernie had won in 2020 we would currently be staring down a filibuster-proof GOP Senate
November 5, 2025 at 10:24 PM
Instead of all these proxy battles about messaging, centrists should just be upfront and say that leftist governance is really toxic even if it can occasionally win an election.
If Bernie had won in 2020 we would currently be staring down a filibuster-proof GOP Senate
If Bernie had won in 2020 we would currently be staring down a filibuster-proof GOP Senate
If we achieve "good enough" outcomes on housing, healthcare, and public service efficiency, as well as sufficiently manage climate change with energy reforms, will legislatures just devolve into 100% culture war thunderdomes as wonks futilely plead for marginal efficiency improvements?
November 2, 2025 at 10:16 PM
If we achieve "good enough" outcomes on housing, healthcare, and public service efficiency, as well as sufficiently manage climate change with energy reforms, will legislatures just devolve into 100% culture war thunderdomes as wonks futilely plead for marginal efficiency improvements?
Underrated reason for our current political discontent is that the neoliberal turn was so successful at delivering material prosperity that the culture war is just mechanically a bigger share of politics now.
Abundos should be wary about actually solving the lingering CoL issues too quickly lol
Abundos should be wary about actually solving the lingering CoL issues too quickly lol
November 2, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Underrated reason for our current political discontent is that the neoliberal turn was so successful at delivering material prosperity that the culture war is just mechanically a bigger share of politics now.
Abundos should be wary about actually solving the lingering CoL issues too quickly lol
Abundos should be wary about actually solving the lingering CoL issues too quickly lol
The DLC strategy of courting low capital intensity, white collar service industries is probably not replicable in 2025 but the loss of the 90s/00s business allies definitely stings
Contra the socialists, voters actually do value business support since their outlook is more corporatist than populist
Contra the socialists, voters actually do value business support since their outlook is more corporatist than populist
November 2, 2025 at 9:18 PM
The DLC strategy of courting low capital intensity, white collar service industries is probably not replicable in 2025 but the loss of the 90s/00s business allies definitely stings
Contra the socialists, voters actually do value business support since their outlook is more corporatist than populist
Contra the socialists, voters actually do value business support since their outlook is more corporatist than populist
It's doubly annoying because in living memory Dems forged alliances with new industries & it did a lot for their brand.
Capitalism needs political representation for new, disruptive firms/industries, and the GOP's low trust culture and bias for incumbent firms make them a terrible fit.
Capitalism needs political representation for new, disruptive firms/industries, and the GOP's low trust culture and bias for incumbent firms make them a terrible fit.
November 2, 2025 at 7:30 PM
It's doubly annoying because in living memory Dems forged alliances with new industries & it did a lot for their brand.
Capitalism needs political representation for new, disruptive firms/industries, and the GOP's low trust culture and bias for incumbent firms make them a terrible fit.
Capitalism needs political representation for new, disruptive firms/industries, and the GOP's low trust culture and bias for incumbent firms make them a terrible fit.