This essay just finally clicked (for me at least) what you mean by 'metapolitics'. This essay is a preview into the types of calculations that are constantly running in the background of your whirlpool mind.
A veritable whirring algorithm that constantly seeks out the most salient, in-the-moment ideological leverage points to push on for great effect.
If you dig deep enough on anyone, you can start to scratch at their their most foundational political beliefs, which are really their religious axioms. This is one of yours:
> American politics are really just an asinine Chinese finger trap, and the key to succeeding is timing this dynamic to work for you.
According to Google AI "the opposite of a Chinese finger trap is to lean into the trap and create more wiggle room." Leaning in and creating more wiggle room for himself is probably the most concise possible guiding principle I've seen for @WaltBismarck's approach to life.
I agree with the conclusion. I see both options as good in some sense. Tiny 5% chance Trump actually got serious about doing the “drain the swamp” thing with DOGE though and that’d be Uber based imo.
He doesn’t even need to do anything just let Elon twitter the federal agencies and Trump can take all the credit afterwards.
> my poor governor proceeded to choke like a cub scout at Lindsey Graham’s house
The scream that I scrumpt when I read this line 😭
What makes this piece unique amongst the “EHC” endorsements I’ve read is the shoutout to Vance. That heartthrob is a true whitepill about the future of the post-Trump Republican Party.
I disagree with the “feels better to be the opposition party” part though. When Tim Walz’s Dems won the slimmest of majorities in Minnesota they rammed through the most extreme legislation they could.
If Kamala sweeps, I predict the abolition of the filibuster, court packing, and other such “anti-democratic” measures that are openly being floated now, and which would render the thermostatic/gridlock idea obsolete.
Nov 4Liked by Kryptogal (Kate, if you like), Walt Bismarck
Some political philosophies on the right claim to "ride the tiger" - this approach rides the fucking Hydra of Lerna. I don't agree with anything, but I can't cal anything really wrong either - 4-8 years of Kakala Harris would give the right the monumental counter-cultural advantage it thrives on right now for instance.
"...this is straightforwardly the least important election of my lifetime, perhaps with the exception of Clinton vs. Dole which happened when I was three."
Apt, especially with the context of your age.
I don't think I can contest your predictions much, either. I will say regardless of direction I don't remember the cultural friction feeling so intense in '96, but given that neither candidate is going to affect that much I guess that's not relevant.
You’ve laid the options out well. In the end, it really doesn’t matter, but I still like to think my vote will count enough to inject a little chaos into the system… we can only hope. 😏
No, Trump is not successful on foreign policy because he's charismatic. People laugh at him too.
But it's because Trump is transactional and don't whine about "human rights" (which really means "Whatever American & European liberals & "progressives" want).
This cost him Europe & Britain as well as fellow "free world" but it does favors in the third world.
Sam Kriss wrote (correctly) that it is not true that Harris is not good at politics. On the contrary, she is very good at politics, even if she is not good at winning over voters, probably because she never had to be good at that.
Trump's ambiguity about Taiwan and the growing North Korean crisis is concerning. Biden sort of threw strategic ambiguity out the window regarding the former, and Trump's rapprochement with the latter appears to have been a complete failure. The result is that the Chinese have more seriously narrowed their invasion window to a 3-4 year window later this decade when their navy will peak in strength, and ours will be retiring ships faster than we can commission them. The DPRK, in several years, will have a more advanced Russian-supported nuclear arsenal. So, the real concern might be that Trump or Vance won't start World War 3 when they should, not that they will start it when they shouldn't.
The Axis of Upheaval leaders won't respect or fear Harris. However, they know that she will follow whatever advice the foreign policy blob defaults to, which is a deterrent to regional aggression in and of itself.
This essay just finally clicked (for me at least) what you mean by 'metapolitics'. This essay is a preview into the types of calculations that are constantly running in the background of your whirlpool mind.
A veritable whirring algorithm that constantly seeks out the most salient, in-the-moment ideological leverage points to push on for great effect.
If you dig deep enough on anyone, you can start to scratch at their their most foundational political beliefs, which are really their religious axioms. This is one of yours:
> American politics are really just an asinine Chinese finger trap, and the key to succeeding is timing this dynamic to work for you.
According to Google AI "the opposite of a Chinese finger trap is to lean into the trap and create more wiggle room." Leaning in and creating more wiggle room for himself is probably the most concise possible guiding principle I've seen for @WaltBismarck's approach to life.
Least partisan election take I've seen this cycle.
“Willie Brown’s brown willie”
Lmfao this article was great fun
I agree with the conclusion. I see both options as good in some sense. Tiny 5% chance Trump actually got serious about doing the “drain the swamp” thing with DOGE though and that’d be Uber based imo.
He doesn’t even need to do anything just let Elon twitter the federal agencies and Trump can take all the credit afterwards.
> my poor governor proceeded to choke like a cub scout at Lindsey Graham’s house
The scream that I scrumpt when I read this line 😭
What makes this piece unique amongst the “EHC” endorsements I’ve read is the shoutout to Vance. That heartthrob is a true whitepill about the future of the post-Trump Republican Party.
I disagree with the “feels better to be the opposition party” part though. When Tim Walz’s Dems won the slimmest of majorities in Minnesota they rammed through the most extreme legislation they could.
If Kamala sweeps, I predict the abolition of the filibuster, court packing, and other such “anti-democratic” measures that are openly being floated now, and which would render the thermostatic/gridlock idea obsolete.
if she tries that it would legitimately provoke a civil uprising tho
GOP would at the very least sweep the midterms
Some political philosophies on the right claim to "ride the tiger" - this approach rides the fucking Hydra of Lerna. I don't agree with anything, but I can't cal anything really wrong either - 4-8 years of Kakala Harris would give the right the monumental counter-cultural advantage it thrives on right now for instance.
Whether this is right or not, I need a drink.
"...this is straightforwardly the least important election of my lifetime, perhaps with the exception of Clinton vs. Dole which happened when I was three."
Apt, especially with the context of your age.
I don't think I can contest your predictions much, either. I will say regardless of direction I don't remember the cultural friction feeling so intense in '96, but given that neither candidate is going to affect that much I guess that's not relevant.
Incredible post.
You’ve laid the options out well. In the end, it really doesn’t matter, but I still like to think my vote will count enough to inject a little chaos into the system… we can only hope. 😏
> Trump foreign policy
No, Trump is not successful on foreign policy because he's charismatic. People laugh at him too.
But it's because Trump is transactional and don't whine about "human rights" (which really means "Whatever American & European liberals & "progressives" want).
This cost him Europe & Britain as well as fellow "free world" but it does favors in the third world.
Sam Kriss wrote (correctly) that it is not true that Harris is not good at politics. On the contrary, she is very good at politics, even if she is not good at winning over voters, probably because she never had to be good at that.
Trump's ambiguity about Taiwan and the growing North Korean crisis is concerning. Biden sort of threw strategic ambiguity out the window regarding the former, and Trump's rapprochement with the latter appears to have been a complete failure. The result is that the Chinese have more seriously narrowed their invasion window to a 3-4 year window later this decade when their navy will peak in strength, and ours will be retiring ships faster than we can commission them. The DPRK, in several years, will have a more advanced Russian-supported nuclear arsenal. So, the real concern might be that Trump or Vance won't start World War 3 when they should, not that they will start it when they shouldn't.
The Axis of Upheaval leaders won't respect or fear Harris. However, they know that she will follow whatever advice the foreign policy blob defaults to, which is a deterrent to regional aggression in and of itself.