Author | Lightnews

anon @fastbreconomics.bsky.social · 6h

It's entirely obvious that he is working backwards from his theories on American politics

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anon @fastbreconomics.bsky.social · 6h

His response to people telling him about it is that they moderated but didn't try as hard as they could. Not joking.

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anon @fastbreconomics.bsky.social · 16h

FWIW I also think the progressive fantasy of "just run on populist left wing policy" to be stupid too! I just think we all need to be a lot more humble about what has been happening in the last decade of American politics!

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anon @fastbreconomics.bsky.social · 17h

I mean I don't think it's nitpicking I'm refuting his entire thesis, and I also don't think I'm trying to tell people to avoid moderating, but nothing I can do to convince a stranger what I sincerely believe, so.

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anon @fastbreconomics.bsky.social · 18h

Again, the idea that Dems need to strategically moderate on wedge issues they are out of step with the electorate on is reasonable.

That is not the argument Simon is making. He is saying that it is the silver bullet that solves a global phemenon and that everyone has simply stopped trying

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anon @fastbreconomics.bsky.social · 18h

I think it's much lazier to think that every single Western left wing party is making the exact same mistake and that being the sole thing to explain literally every single population in the Western world being radicalized to right wing thought

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anon @fastbreconomics.bsky.social · 18h

FTR, my opinion on moderation is that it works fine.

However, the thesis that the rightward shift of populations in the Western world is entirely because every single left wing party on Earth moved far left, and no other structural problems, is so insane in how juvenile it is.

anon @fastbreconomics.bsky.social · 21h

his thesis is literally "moderation has never been tried", it's incredible

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anon @fastbreconomics.bsky.social · 18h

Moderation works fine, the point is it's not a silver bullet and doesn't solve the entire structural issues that have lead to the situation we are in today

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anon @fastbreconomics.bsky.social · 20h

It literally does according to Simon. He believes that everyone, including blue state Dems, need to moderate, because ree Dems won't be able to win otherwise because of nationalized politics.

anon @fastbreconomics.bsky.social · 20h

Yes, you are correct. That's the irony of this to me though. Both the online left and the radical center are falling into the same motivated reasoning trap and failing to understand the complexity of the electorate.

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anon @fastbreconomics.bsky.social · 20h

You are correct. Clinton was the originator of the "New Dems" whose thesis wa exactly this. It is why he gutted social programs.

Of course, what a lot of people miss is that the political landscape was more complicated back then....most notable thing being that the GOP was the pro immigration party

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anon @fastbreconomics.bsky.social · 20h

The irony is the conclusion here is the same one Republicans come to. The preferences of cosmopolitan liberals in cities don't matter and should be borderline spat on.

anon @fastbreconomics.bsky.social · 20h

I'm too lazy to screenshot it but he responded to a comment like this and no joke he said they didn't try hard enough

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anon @fastbreconomics.bsky.social · 20h

It's textbook motivated reasoning. It wouldn't piss me off as much if it wasn't being parrotted endlessly by people who actually have actual power in the party, and also election twitter people who know better

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