In fact, there’s substantial evidence that progressives may put an even higher value on opposing corruption than their more moderate colleagues. For instance, progressives like Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania were among the first to call for the resignation of Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., after his recent indictment on bribery and corruption charges. This isn’t just about political progressives also being people of conscience. I think they understand how intertwined corruption and authoritarian politics are, and understand you can’t fight one without fighting the other.
Authoritarians like Trump gain power by exploiting public cynicism. The more that voters believe that all politicians cheat the system, the more decent citizens will give up engaging meaningfully in politics at all. Eventually, the only people left in politics are the ones with no vision of a better world beyond a bitter desire to stick it to racial minorities, LGBTQ people and women. Getting people to believe in equal justice and functional government is a necessary prerequisite if folks like Fetterman and Ocasio-Cortez are to make any progress on the social and economic issues that matter most to them. It makes sense that AOC opened the door for the massive lawsuit that may bring Donald Trump’s business empire crashing down. Maybe the main reason she’s not taking more credit for that is that in the here and now she’s busy trying to expose the corruption of House Republicans.
A well-written article and a fantastic response to the “wHaT hAvE pRoGrEsSiVeS aCcOmPlIShEd” concern trolling from centrists.
It’s well-written but it misses the obvious point. Centrists get platforms to speak about corruption because there’s absolutely zero danger they will do anything fundamental to upset the gravy train. They’ll wag their fingers at the too-blatant-about-it grifters while leaving the system fundamentally intact.
A well-written article and a fantastic response to the “wHaT hAvE pRoGrEsSiVeS aCcOmPlIShEd” concern trolling from centrists.
It’s well-written but it misses the obvious point. Centrists get platforms to speak about corruption because there’s absolutely zero danger they will do anything fundamental to upset the gravy train. They’ll wag their fingers at the too-blatant-about-it grifters while leaving the system fundamentally intact.
Yup. Give the mic to the person who will condemn but not take action. They need to be heard!
Let’s hope for more like this.
That’s not concern trolling. They are proud that they block progress. It’s gloating.