Last night I participated in a conversation. This article is written as an outcome of that conversation, as requested by those who participated.
Essentially, the framework of the conversation, as I initially listened, is best described as a series of questions amid a group of smart intellectual types who are very understanding of the nature of our current situation.
In various forms they were asking each other the same question. What happened in the last several years that caused Democrats, leftists and the traditional political left to switch positions on their advocacy?
Liberalism literally went from railing against Big Govt, to embracing corrupt Big Govt. Why and how did this happen?
In short, it was the same line of questioning I have seen asked by Tucker Carlson, Glenn Greenwald, Tulsi Gabbard and various traditionally liberal people as well as people on the right side of the continuum.
Why and how did traditional liberalism so suddenly flip from being, big picture – ‘anti-government’, to suddenly embracing corrupt government enterprise, and supporting the intelligence apparatus, federal govt (writ large), institutional oppressive law enforcement and FBI etc.? What happened?
After listening to this conversation quietly, as I am prone to do, my remarks -with citations and examples- silenced the room.
At the conclusion of my remarks, everyone asked me if I had ever written about this, and if not – why not? I did not have an answer, so consider this a promise fulfilled. Perhaps you might find value.
In the 50 years that preceded 2008, traditional leftists, media activists, left-wing community organizing agencies, Democrats, liberals, progressives, or whatever label you want to assign, essentially railed against the U.S. government and all that it represented. However, now, if you were to look at the issues from the 30,000-foot perspective, those same groups currently support the oppressive & weaponized system of government they formerly despised.
In the 50 years that preceded 2008, those same groups had an approach of distrust toward government, and the media apparatus had a very distinct supportive and cynical outlook, favorable to the leftist anti-government perspective. Now, all of that has reversed – seemingly flipped.
In the 50 years that preceded 2008, media pushed a one-way narrative in defense of those who were “targeted” by the institutions and mechanisms of government. As the activists railed against the regime, the media framed narratives to excuse the transparently guilty. Now, that entire dynamic has reversed. Now we see the media pushing a narrative in support of weaponized government targeting, and – here’s the kicker – framing the transparently innocent.
The activists went from accusing government of wrongdoing and defending the transparently guilty – to aligning with government, excusing government wrongdoing, and helping to attack the transparently innocent.
As some continue to say with jaw agape, WTF happened?
The answer “why” is not complicated…. not complicated at all.
In 2008, the ‘activists’ took control of government.
In January of 2009, the leftists, community organizers and activists took control of the systems they had opposed for the preceding 50+ years.
In January of 2009, and inflection point took place; an inflection point that no one realized in forethought, scale or consequence.
Starting in 2009, all of the systems of federal government were now under the control of the people who previously fought against the systems of federal government. Everything since is an outcome of that inflection point; that’s why everything flipped.
All of it, and I do mean every scintilla of the thing; every single granular detail and example you can put in front of me can be traced back to that moment when the activists were no longer outside government railing against the corrupt system they hated.
Starting in January of 2009, the activists took power over the United States government, and every outside institution, including media, necessarily and ideologically followed that inversion.
Starting in 2009, the systems and institutions of the U.S government now came under the control of the radical activists.
In the eight years that followed, the mission of every institution was changed. Government was weaponized on behalf of the leftist activists who now took control of it. Everything thereafter is a consequence of this change.
When I use the word “suddenly”, it is only for understanding the inflections point that came as a consequence. In actuality, the severity of change inside each institution took place over several years. That’s why the intensity of the weaponized and corrupt systems became worse over time.
As each institution was infiltrated to become more aligned with the mindset of the activists, the institutions became more radical in their targeting and weaponization.
The activists went from being outside government to being inside government.
Suddenly, the left-wing supportive media changed mission priority from railing against corrupt government, to defending the corrupt weaponization of govt.
Suddenly, the FBI went from targeting domestic threats, to targeting only the domestic threats defined as against the interests of the left-wing activists.
Suddenly, the outside activists went from being defined as social elements creating turmoil, to social elements now being defended and even promoted.
This is why we see outside activist groups like the Dream Defenders, New Black Panthers, Black Lives Matter, Occupy Wall Street and more recently ANTIFA, as protected and supported by the activists inside government now in control of the systems and institutions.
All of the social, cultural and political dynamics that changed traditional “liberalism” are easily understood once you realize and accept that activists took control of the power centers of the U.S. government.
Everything that followed, including our current state of social and political turmoil, is simply a natural conclusion of that fundamental change.
The radical activists are now in control of the institutions of power. This core shift is what created the dynamic of a very visible two-tiered justice system. Each institution was weaponized and continues to be weaponized against those who are not aligned with the activist ideology.
The Dept of Justice has been weaponized against people who are not in alignment with the radicals.
The federal police, known as the FBI, have been weaponized against We The People.
The Intelligence Community is now under the control of the radical activists. The mission priorities change accordingly.
When Tucker Carlson, Glenn Greenwald, Tulsi Gabbard or any other person posits the question about ‘why’ the ideology of the left and media has shifted so suddenly, there is your answer.
It is not a complicated understanding. Once you accept this fundamental change took place, everything seemingly falls into place….
…. At least that’s what the “ah-ha” audience told me.
