A couple thoughts I'd like to share as I watch Twitter and this thread explode again.
I think it's safe to say that the Online Republicans are in the gayest form of civil war, at least for now. Perhaps Trump will backtrack on his recent positions that are unpopular with the base, but one must keep in mind Trump 2024 was quite a big tent. You had America First populists, establishment Republican politicians, Elon and his techbros, the Big Donor class, foreign interests and "the average Joe" non-engaged voter all bring him into office together. And this is before he had to make the inevitable compromises with "the other side" when he actually became President. I'd say it is nearly impossible to balance the interests of all these factions together for long, especially when these factions have positions fundamental to their worldview that are diametrically opposing one another (H1B visas, foreign aid, economic policy and so on). We are seeing the "at least we can all agree the other guy is worse" compact formed during the 2024 election fraying at the seams. Maybe the tape got ripped off altogether. It's tragically natural and I think when you look at all this with that perspective, Trump is seeing the writing on the wall and simply choosing the approach he thinks is best, with the rest of the administration (and the factions they represent) fighting amongst themselves for the President's ear. We shall see how it plays out in the months to come and the midterms next year. A lot can happen in a year, after all.
Most here (besides the doomposters) would agree the Democrats are still in civil war, with the establishment Democrats on one side and the progressives on the other. This has been the case for quite a while,
and the recent screaming matches over some Democrats defecting to re-open the government shows that there is no sign of that letting up yet. That means we have
both our major political parties at war with themselves right now. But I have not seen a certain connection being made; from what I can tell, these civil wars are treated as separate events entirely, not really connected with one another. I am of the belief that they should be connected together, not just faintly but
closely. Look at the trends: old centrist policies versus new radical policies, neocons versus nationalists and neolibs versus (")communists("). Look at the base perspectives of left-wing radicalism and America First populism: the current political and economic system is failing us and destroying America. Look, yes, at even the general class perspectives (though the Democrats in general are much more balanced in this regard thanks to leftism turning from an ideology of the working class to an ideology of the trust fund babies): the old money (establishment, bankers, etc.) versus the new money (techbros, etc.) and the rich versus the poor. These civil wars are not very different, but rather I think they're mirror images of one another. A generation which has held onto political and economic power for far longer than they should have grows decrepit. Their time is rapidly running short. Look at Pelosi, for example, who's finally retiring from Congress. We are seeing this old guard crumble to dust after all these years, a long-held prediction finally being made manifest. The new guard, on both sides, are now fighting their wars for one, similar purpose: in an era where The Old Ways have irreversibly crumbled to dust and the future is more uncertain than ever, what will replace our currently collapsing system?
None of this is about MTG or Massie or even Mamdani. It is related to Trump, but it is not even about him. It is about a fight which is both bitterly partisan and exceedingly nonpartisan at the same time; this is a fight for the very idea of what America is and will be as everybody collectively realized the previous vision of our country had long ago perished under a wave of corruption and societal change. I don't know where we'll go from here, but I do remember the corny stock phrase.
The times, they are a changin'.
