Radical left vs. Radical right

[KayF]

Link to tweet

[OLDMDDEM]

1. AND

YOU ARE CONFIRMING 81 MILLION VOTERS FEARS ABOUT THE REPUGS - - YOU WHINY BASTARD.

[moose65]

2. There really is no "radical left" in America.

Over the last 40 years we have been pulled so far to the right that people like Biden are now labelled "far left." Please. I don't even know what "far left" would look like!

The far right, though, is alive and well. They have emerged from their lairs since 2009.

The "left" has no Limbaugh, no Hannity, no Coultergeist, no parade of blondes who spout "news" all day. The left also doesn't have the vast reach of talk radio.

[Hortensis]

6. Lol, what a radical left-generated viewpoint. Seriously.

That is a major, eternal radical left theme. Genuine LW-radicals-to-extremists tend to run about 12-15% of the left, though can be more in troubled times as more people become radicalized.

Socialism, the currently ascendant radical ideology, is inherently radical because it's so far outside mainstream ideology but some forms are farther out still, flat-out extremist. For the most part, though, they can't give radical ideology away to others, so they claim liberal Democratic ideals for their own to draw support. Hiding behind our ideology of course creates the supportive deceits that liberal Democrats moved so far right we're little better than Republicans.

Remember lifelong wannabe-revolutionary socialist Bernie Sanders claiming that virtually every time he opened his mouth in 2015-16 and 2018? So knee-jerk that he even claimed (at the She the People conference) that Democrats also pack the courts with racists who persecute minorities, just like the Republicans, "anyway the Democrats do it too."

So, instead of the RW reactionaries you name, the radical left has its own names. Like Sanders' surrogate attack dogs, the ones he let go for 2020 including/and those who tried to form a People's Party to oppose Democrats. All those names. And the Justice Democrats/Brand New Congress types. And of course still others who don't waffle around in their commitment to socialism or whatever and believe Sanders and Nina Turner are really just corrupt corporatist Democrats. Then there are those running around smashing windows with the intention of "accelerating" socialist revolution, mercifully few and they mostly don't do MSNBC appearances. By then we're definitely into extremism, though where to draw the line between radicalism and extremism is very unclear since they're a continuity.

Radical: the political orientation of those who favor revolutionary change in government and society

In political science, the term radicalism is the belief that society needs to be changed, and that these changes are only possible through revolutionary means.

Most people think of left-wing politics when they use the noun radicalism, although people on both ends of the spectrum can be described as radical. Both radical and radicalism came out of the idea that political change must "come from the root," or the very basic source of society.

[leftstreet]

10. +1

[betsuni]

12. "Over the last 40 years we have been pulled so far to the right"

How? Please give examples.

[uponit7771]

13. +1

[Earthshine2]

15. +1 - No real organized radical left.

There are radicals and crazies, for sure. We see them at peaceful protests. They are the instigators of any violence and vandalism.

If one goes far enough left or right, one enters the realm of political nihilism and anarchy.

[safeinOhio]

3. Reagan is now the

Radical left.

[Earthshine2]

14. Yes. Here's some evidence for you!

You are exaggerating to make the point, of course. Reagan might be center-center-left.

[mr_lebowski]

4. We just lived through 4 years of radical right leadership which is WHY we're so not-unified ATM ...

And you were ALL FOR IT every step of the way.

So fuck you Marco.

[Hortensis]

5. No. That describes our Democratic mainstream and those we elect.

There IS a radical left. By definition and proven by actions, it's anywhere from prone-to to-committed to extremist, illiberal, and both antidemocratic and anti-Democratic thinking and behaviors. They typically make up perhaps 12-15% of the left. They're among us in every era, not just this one. More join them in bad times, drawn by their promises and postures of great ideals, and some of those are tragically radicalized, but most non-radicals fall away over time.

Many but not all today claim to support socialism as an alternative to our constitutional republic and capitalist economy, but psychologists say if there was no such thing they'd support something else that requires destroying whatever system was in place and putting them in power. They don't care that they'd have to impose their goals on the large majority who don't want them. They're extremists.

Since by far most people don't want what they do, they typically hide their real goals and claim those of liberal Democrats, just always more and better and NOW!, to woo support. They know they'll never have to come through on their promises.

[moose65]

7. Not buying it

Who are these "many" who claim to support socialism? And how many of them have the mouthpieces that Limbaugh, et al, have? Answer: none.

[Hortensis]

8. I felt pretty sure you wouldn't but didn't want to leave a statement like that

just standing for anyone to read.

We wouldn't have gotten into this mess if more people understood the various radical/extremist movements and passions that get their hooks into others and that they become especially energized and dangerous in troubled times.

It's always been the job of the large, stable mainstream majorities to protect their nations from those taken over by extremism. When we fail is when nations fall.

[Crunchy Frog]

9. Our side needs to start using the terms "radical RW extremists"

to accurately describe the majority of current Republicans. We also need to point out that they have an anti-democracy agenda.

We also need to hammer home the message by using the words frequently and regularly. This is how you put ideas into people's minds. The Rs learned about this decades ago. It's past time that our side figures this out and begins to utilize it.

[lamp_shade]

11. kick for visibility.

[onethatcares]

16. little marco squawked while

collecting tax payer funded salary and benefits all the time hiding who paid his $25,000.00 credit card off.