Thanks for this. Back in the 80's, I attended an Objectivist conference in San Diego (la Jolla). It was a heady time for a young man. Hot for philosophical purpose after reading the Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. It framed my views for life, although they softened with time.
If I'm not mistaken, I recall you being there and referring to yourself during one session as a bourgeois liberal. It stuck with me all this time and I've tried to approach life through that lens.
Now in the time of Trump and his ilk threatening your country and mine (Canada) , it's refreshing to read your continued rational observations. I really hope that this one step back is just that.
I think the last major party presidential nominee who was acceptably qualified for the job was Mitt Romney in 2012. Since then it has been a matter of trying to pick the lesser evil, or more precisely, selecting which of two very bad choices would be likely to do less harm. I would guess that one way in which you have changed since 2016 is that you have become less critical of and more friendly toward the Democrats and at least some of the left. While I understand that Trump can drive a person to that, I think it is a mistake. The Democrats and the left have not gotten better in the last nine years. The Republicans and the conservatives just have gotten much worse. I think it works better these days for a person to accept being politically homeless, working with one side or the other when appropriate (as with opposing some of the things Trump is doing now), but not expecting much from either.
You are still honest and benevolent. And you still have the kind of mind that, above all, seeks to understand. That's what I like, and that's what still shines through. And I think that's what matters most. With that foundation, the rest tends to be nuanced change as you encounter previously unexpected possibilities. But you still end up in a good place. Primarily because of the honesty and benevolence.
I don't think you've changed a bit, not fundamentally. It is American politics that has slowly gone insane.
I'm totally with you on the change in emphasis.
Thanks for this. Back in the 80's, I attended an Objectivist conference in San Diego (la Jolla). It was a heady time for a young man. Hot for philosophical purpose after reading the Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. It framed my views for life, although they softened with time.
If I'm not mistaken, I recall you being there and referring to yourself during one session as a bourgeois liberal. It stuck with me all this time and I've tried to approach life through that lens.
Now in the time of Trump and his ilk threatening your country and mine (Canada) , it's refreshing to read your continued rational observations. I really hope that this one step back is just that.
Keep up the important work.
An insightful and thoughtful post which mirrors my experience and I am sure many others.
I think the last major party presidential nominee who was acceptably qualified for the job was Mitt Romney in 2012. Since then it has been a matter of trying to pick the lesser evil, or more precisely, selecting which of two very bad choices would be likely to do less harm. I would guess that one way in which you have changed since 2016 is that you have become less critical of and more friendly toward the Democrats and at least some of the left. While I understand that Trump can drive a person to that, I think it is a mistake. The Democrats and the left have not gotten better in the last nine years. The Republicans and the conservatives just have gotten much worse. I think it works better these days for a person to accept being politically homeless, working with one side or the other when appropriate (as with opposing some of the things Trump is doing now), but not expecting much from either.
Having low expectations in politics is a policy with a good track record.
You are still honest and benevolent. And you still have the kind of mind that, above all, seeks to understand. That's what I like, and that's what still shines through. And I think that's what matters most. With that foundation, the rest tends to be nuanced change as you encounter previously unexpected possibilities. But you still end up in a good place. Primarily because of the honesty and benevolence.