I’m so disheartened by the rightward trend of this country and the world

[Anonymous]

I’ll try and spare you all the rambling, I’m just so discouraged about how people, voters around the world at every level are trending rightward. From local to international. From Montgomery County MD (David Blair is certain to win) to statewide elections for governor to federal elections around the country where voters not only are rejecting Democrats (which I understand) but actively supporting Republicans (which I cannot for the life of me understand). To reiterate, I get why people are disappointed in Biden and the Democrats, but I don’t understand why anyone would like Republicans.

Internationally, I am a extremely concerned with rightward trends in France (Macron won but with a shrinking margin and he has moved to the right) all the way to Brazil, which has one of the worst people in the world in Bolsonaro who is cutting away at Lula’s lead and may be re-elected.

Voters around the world are prioritizing short term economic gain and fear of the “other” over the greater good. To some extent I get that, for normal working people gas prices and inflation are more important than climate change because you see the impacts directly and immediately, not gradually over time. But that depresses me more. We as a species will ALWAYS prioritize the short term over the long term.

I’m a leftist, not a liberal. I don’t get all bent out of shape over the social justice issues or whatever it is we call “wokeness.” I’m a single issue voter on climate change. I realize that my 401(k) by 2055 will be useless if we don’t have a habitable planet. At the rate we are going, the right wingers we are electing will do ZERO on climate change, even less than what the weak Democrats are doing, and in fact will get us to climate apocalypse faster.

Good luck, maybe your Demi-god Elon will invite you to Mars with him.

[Anonymous]

Single issue voters like you are the reason we have someone like Elon. You put him and others like him above the altar of your religion. You think the ends justified the means and that the world will be a better place if only we can find the right benevolent leaders and for the masses to follow their vision with deference. Invariably, we discover that people are human and they all have faults and are corruptible. The only thing that can save you from a lifetime of disappointment is to realize that your leftist beliefs represents a failed worldview of human nature.

[Anonymous]

Me too. I'm French, and it's been fraught to watch right-wing populists gain traction in nearly every European country. Thank goodness Macron won this Presidential election, but I am worried for the next - he'll be term-limited and there is no one right now who has the charisma and influence to mount an opposition against Marine Le Pen, who will naturally run again, and might win this time.

I don't worry about climate change in itself - we'll be forced to address it no matter what. I worry about intolerance and the politics of fear. Of course the two are interconnected, since climate change is triggering conflict and migration all over the world.

[Anonymous]

I don’t see how you are a single issue voter when you don’t even seem to understand the single issue. The planet is not going to be uninhabitable by 2055 under any scenario. I agree though you are not a liberal. You are a leftist. The term liberal has been totally bastardized in US politics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ll try and spare you all the rambling, I’m just so discouraged about how people, voters around the world at every level are trending rightward. From local to international. From Montgomery County MD (David Blair is certain to win) to statewide elections for governor to federal elections around the country where voters not only are rejecting Democrats (which I understand) but actively supporting Republicans (which I cannot for the life of me understand). To reiterate, I get why people are disappointed in Biden and the Democrats, but I don’t understand why anyone would like Republicans.

Internationally, I am a extremely concerned with rightward trends in France (Macron won but with a shrinking margin and he has moved to the right) all the way to Brazil, which has one of the worst people in the world in Bolsonaro who is cutting away at Lula’s lead and may be re-elected.

Voters around the world are prioritizing short term economic gain and fear of the “other” over the greater good. To some extent I get that, for normal working people gas prices and inflation are more important than climate change because you see the impacts directly and immediately, not gradually over time. But that depresses me more. We as a species will ALWAYS prioritize the short term over the long term.

I’m a leftist, not a liberal. I don’t get all bent out of shape over the social justice issues or whatever it is we call “wokeness.” I’m a single issue voter on climate change. I realize that my 401(k) by 2055 will be useless if we don’t have a habitable planet. At the rate we are going, the right wingers we are electing will do ZERO on climate change, even less than what the weak Democrats are doing, and in fact will get us to climate apocalypse faster.

Good luck, maybe your Demi-god Elon will invite you to Mars with him.

Conservatism has morphed into Christianity and vice versa. You cannot be either without being both. And this article was especially enlightening/disheartening (both?) https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/02/the-sad-path-from-reaganism-to-national-conservatism/606304/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t see how you are a single issue voter when you don’t even seem to understand the single issue. The planet is not going to be uninhabitable by 2055 under any scenario. I agree though you are not a liberal. You are a leftist. The term liberal has been totally bastardized in US politics.

Agreed.

- a liberal

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll try and spare you all the rambling, I’m just so discouraged about how people, voters around the world at every level are trending rightward. From local to international. From Montgomery County MD (David Blair is certain to win) to statewide elections for governor to federal elections around the country where voters not only are rejecting Democrats (which I understand) but actively supporting Republicans (which I cannot for the life of me understand). To reiterate, I get why people are disappointed in Biden and the Democrats, but I don’t understand why anyone would like Republicans.

Internationally, I am a extremely concerned with rightward trends in France (Macron won but with a shrinking margin and he has moved to the right) all the way to Brazil, which has one of the worst people in the world in Bolsonaro who is cutting away at Lula’s lead and may be re-elected.

Voters around the world are prioritizing short term economic gain and fear of the “other” over the greater good. To some extent I get that, for normal working people gas prices and inflation are more important than climate change because you see the impacts directly and immediately, not gradually over time. But that depresses me more. We as a species will ALWAYS prioritize the short term over the long term.

I’m a leftist, not a liberal. I don’t get all bent out of shape over the social justice issues or whatever it is we call “wokeness.” I’m a single issue voter on climate change. I realize that my 401(k) by 2055 will be useless if we don’t have a habitable planet. At the rate we are going, the right wingers we are electing will do ZERO on climate change, even less than what the weak Democrats are doing, and in fact will get us to climate apocalypse faster.

Good luck, maybe your Demi-god Elon will invite you to Mars with him.

Conservatism has morphed into Christianity and vice versa. You cannot be either without being both. And this article was especially enlightening/disheartening (both?) https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/02/the-sad-path-from-reaganism-to-national-conservatism/606304/

Y'all cain't take away mah freedom.