blog update, and briefly on inauguration / protests
blog update: I’m going to be thinning out blog activity in the coming year. I kindof wanted to do this after November but am really going to do it now. Partly because of burn-out after 2016 election season, partly for personal-life / time-budgeting reasons. However, this remains a critical time to be politically engaged. The current rhetorical environment being what it is, though, I’m going to turn the “filter” strength up a lot.
Trump speech – very nationalist, like almost a caricature. Trump’s PR team is setting the country up for some very confrontational politics. Either a dumb move or maybe a nasty bit of long term planning (split the Republican party into conservative and nationalist wings as a strategic marketing move, branding/segmentation – the Democrats could respond with the same.). In any case, will be a great nuisance for supporters of non-nationalist egalitarian-populist 3rd party efforts, or anyone interested in taking the opportunities that the undressing-of-the-system which 2016 gave us.
Protests – Very appropriate, and I was happy to see huge turnout 3MM or more nationwide. All those people will remember the energy of the day and carry it with them for years. I do hope the direction it goes in, is something more ambitious and positive than simply replacing the current Trump with a generic party-line Democrat version.
I am happy to see movement to legitimize principled obstruction of an unprincipled government. I am willing to accept a certain amount of co-opt-ation by neoliberals etc, but only to a point. I hope such movement will get where they are going by sticking to substance in their arguments, and without mocking or insulting voters/supporters of their political opponents whose support they will need. Otherwise it will backfire just like the 2016 election did. I expect both sides (Trump and anti-Trump) will adapt and innovate quickly in the PR department.
Pete's Politics and Variety 