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Party lines in America

Years ago, the economist had a cover image it showed protester agains the World Bank/IMF/USA, on wide side were blue collar workers and on the other-side hippies, and the caption was "They're with us?".

It was the first sign of political re-alignment in the OCDE.  In the US the trend was slower (this image dates back to the 1990s, at the hight of the anti-globalization movement) but its now in full swing.  The shift coalesced with the election of Donald Trump, a "billionaire" who spoke a few home truth:

  • The system is crooked, I should know I use it
  • Moved the US embassy to Jerusalem that "is" the capital of Israel
  • Avowed racist, who left is dog whistle at home and "called a spade a spade" (being literal here on purpose)
  • Daily able to piss off the democrats
Trump despite owning a B757 as a private jet was seen as a man of the people (go figure) and spoke the truth that "racists and misogynes could embrace".  Trump was the kind of guy who at your bar table would tell some annoying girl that she was ugly (you found-it despicable...but brave and funny), never mind the kind of hurtful thing it was doing to the girl -- we are all young selfish pricks!

At the same time businessmen across America found in the new president someone they didn't like, its interesting that all those businessmen who supported Trump were in general either rule breakers (Musk) or were hedge fund managers (too many to name) who always worked "against the system".  Businessmen who knew Trump always thought that he was a despicable cheat someone not to trust.

Beginning in 2000 businessmen found the GOP more than happy to support their friends, this culminated with the 2008 crisis where the financial sector that had evidently harmed the US economy was saved and everyone else paid the bill.  The business community slowly stopped supporting the GOP.  It did this, with some glaring exceptions, by supporting all politicians -- GOP or Democrats in equal amounts.

GOP on the other hand saw the arrival of the blue collar workers as their new recruits their new members, but forgot that business was still paying most of the bills.  The GOP PACs that were once 100% financed by business, are now financing by blue-collar workers (there's also been a lot of fraud).

As for the Democrats they almost did the same thing.  Their desperate desire to retain the blue-collar vote led to the election of Barack Obama -- a real right of centre Democrats, that had more in common with the old (pre 2000) GOP than he did with the old school Democrats.  Obama's only real achievement was the Healthcare law, since it persist to this day.  

What this all means is like in the 1930s there is a re-alignment of political forces in the US.  Right now, businesses are on their own, they are not for the GOP (social conservatives) and are not for the Democrats.  They have largely been extracted from the political process (for the first time in more than a century).  That means that the old games are over!  Unions members are as likely to be pro GOP than they are to be Democrats.  

The now shrinking white evangelical voter base has largely got what they wanted (anti abortion) they have lost interest in the political process.  This is the first time since the foundation of the Moral Majority (it was neither) that the Christian vote is no longer homogenous, and up for grabs.  The latest "wars" sound like the rear guard actions of cretins, with the Democrats now working hard to remove the bible from libraries --  a great way to piss off the GOP backer of these anti-woke crusade that DeSanti started two years ago.  

The impact of all this is very serious; political immobilism will be the order of the day, until the new normal is fully established.  Big issues are now on-hold

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