And now for something new...did the Pandemic change your political ideology?

[colker]

Yes. I was a conservative but am radically left inclined now. Not the pandemia per se but Trump and his admirers made me shun republicans and righties: if they didn´t throw the new fascist populist out the window then they never will. It´s Germany 1930s all over again: pseudo liberals giving a pass to fascists.

[colker]

Nope.

Although I try not be ideological in the first place, and drive my political views more on my moral compass than political theories.

Politics are mostly cynicism and pragmatism. Every once in a while you see a moral compass going on but quickly you realize there was a power agenda going on.

[beeatnik]

Hi, Colker!

[ides1056]

When the state of West Virginia is responsible for the direction the world and the country are headed, it's difficult to be hopeful.

[gregl]

When the state of West Virginia is responsible for the direction the world and the country are headed, it's difficult to be hopeful.

Manchin has a slinky for a spine. He’s desperately blowing in the WV political wind, trying to keep his Senate seat. Zero integrity.

Greg

[theflashunc]

Manchin has a slinky for a spine. He’s desperately blowing in the WV political wind, trying to keep his Senate seat. Zero integrity.

Greg

And will still lose his seat.

[echappist]

Manchin has a slinky for a spine. He’s desperately blowing in the WV political wind, trying to keep his Senate seat. Zero integrity.

Greg

You are saying he has a spine? Thought he was an inveterate invertebrate.

Best hopes, Ron Johnson (and a few others) gets voted out, mooting the need for Manchin’s role as dealmaker in the Senate

[72gmc]

Chuck Chuck, too. I don't want to regress to a Mitch-led Senate but Schumer is not equipped for the task at hand.

[Corso]

Yes. I was a conservative but am radically left inclined now. Not the pandemia per se but Trump and his admirers made me shun republicans and righties: if they didn´t throw the new fascist populist out the window then they never will. It´s Germany 1930s all over again: pseudo liberals giving a pass to fascists.

Colky old friend, good to hear from you!

So, are you shunning righties in my country, or yours?

[gggross]

It has not changed my ideology but it has changed my vote. I am still a conservative and don’t agree with most of the left philosophy. However, the current right leaning politicians are crazy people IMO. This last election made me vote for a Dem because I couldn’t stomach Trump and all he stands for.

[jimcav]

yep, I reg as Democrat to vote in 2020. I remember racist democrats from Georgia circa 1975, some of my earliest memories, so things change. Maybe down the road I will change to another party. Not soon. I've never understood single-issue voters, but there seem to be many now. I'm in a fortunate position as far as safety/security so am able to vote based on what I see as most useful to the country I served and still love.

[open roader]

No.

Time has changed my political leaning.

I first took interest in political goings on in the early 80's. By the late 90's, in my late teens I considered myself quite the centerist.

My ideology has not changed at all but now I'm viewed as strongly left leaning these days.

Political ideology across the board has largely shifted to the right.

Although I was born into and considerably benefit from being a citizen of a first world capitalist country , I still say socialism is not a dirty word.

The pandemic has made no difference to the way I experience and advocate politics.

[beeatnik]

3:20...


https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/...own-nr-vpx.cnn

Moms who voted for Biden explain why they voted for a Republican in Virginia

Newsroom

CNN's Pamela Brown sits down with some White suburban moms from Virginia about what made them vote for a Republican in the recent governor's race, despite voting for Biden for president in 2020.

or not

Youngkin also made appeals to parents fed up with more than a year of remote learning and other COVID-19-related school policies, like requiring masks in schools. But all of this falls under the category of “education,” which makes it incredibly hard to disentangle which issue had a bigger impact on voters. And as we’ll discuss below, it’s not clear that education was even the most important factor for voters.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features...d-republicans/

[Matthew Strongin]

How many people voted for Youngkin because of his promise to end the teaching of CRT in Virginia schools. The fact that they 1) don't know what CRT is and 2) don't know that it isn't taught in Virginia schools is besides the point. I guess that will make it easy for him to keep that campaign promise, though.

[beeatnik]

Do you think it's easier to shift a suburban Democrat or Independent on CRT than school closures, all things being equal? If that were the case we're back in the Reagan/Bush era.

[SlowPokePete]

How many people voted for Youngkin because of his promise to end the teaching of CRT in Virginia schools. The fact that they 1) don't know what CRT is and 2) don't know that it isn't taught in Virginia schools is besides the point. I guess that will make it easy for him to keep that campaign promise, though.

https://twitter.com/phil_lewis_/stat...142711310?s=10

SPP

[beeatnik]

^That guy was a registered Democratic Socialist until he heard about Kendi on Democracy Now! First time he votes Republican since his daddy took him to the polls in 1960! Hahah.

[echappist]

3:20...


https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/...own-nr-vpx.cnn

Moms who voted for Biden explain why they voted for a Republican in Virginia

Newsroom

CNN's Pamela Brown sits down with some White suburban moms from Virginia about what made them vote for a Republican in the recent governor's race, despite voting for Biden for president in 2020.

or not

Youngkin also made appeals to parents fed up with more than a year of remote learning and other COVID-19-related school policies, like requiring masks in schools. But all of this falls under the category of “education,” which makes it incredibly hard to disentangle which issue had a bigger impact on voters. And as we’ll discuss below, it’s not clear that education was even the most important factor for voters.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features...d-republicans/

Speaking shifts in personality and attitudes, were you born desultory or was it something acquired through practice?

Your most recent posts (from today) are basically tangents to the original premise of this thread, which you yourself started. How do what you just posted have anything to do with the issue of shift in your own ideology?

[beeatnik]

I wasn't following the Virginia or NJ elections. Then my one social media feed was bombarded with analysis. I thought it was germane to the conversation and it's a contrast to the situation in CA. Plus, most of you cats seem to be on the East Coast.

Desultory is a good word. It was on one of the 4 SATs I took.

[j44ke]

I grew up in Virginia. This is what Virginia does. They vote Democratic Party for a while, then enough moderate white people start to get anxious about perceived shifts in race dynamics and they vote Republican until the religious right gets too big for its britches - or the economy goes down the toilet - and then the moderate white people go back to the Democratic Party for a while. The state is much more progressive than when I was a kid there, but it isn't as progressive as you might think it should be and Northern Virginia shifts slightly based on who is in the Whitehouse as there are lots of political hires and fires every 4 years so that shifts too. It is a weird state politically. But the big mistake was running Terry McAuliffe as their candidate for governor. He didn't make it out of the primaries in 2009, and he won the governorship with less than 50% of the votes in 2013 because a Libertarian candidate siphoned just enough votes from the Republican candidate. In 2021, he won 48.5% (an improvement over 2013 when he won 47.8%) to Youngin's 50.7% (improving over Cucinelli's 45.%.) Both candidates likely benefitted from no Libertarian candidate taking 6.5%, though Youngkin got most of it now that Libertarians aren't cool. These are not Democrats or Republicans shifting back and forth. These are Virginia moderates who move around in elections like migrating birds. Only migrating birds have a better direction and purpose.

I'm exaggerating but yeah, find someone other than McAuliffe to run. Geez.