Yes. That’s the key to the power of the Establishment (which is primarily Democratic, but has a Republican auxilliary). There’s an old joke in politics that “if it wasn’t for the media, Massachusetts would vote like Texas and Texas would vote like Genghis Khan”.

Of course the media in this sense also includes academia, and almost all of our institutions. The ruling class has used them to push their own agenda since forever, that’s what makes them the ruling class (and there is _always_ a ruling class). But since the 1970s, the current ruling elite agenda has been running at cross-purposes with that of the commoners.

The downside, for the ruling class, is that as they use the institutions to run contrary to the needs, interests, and beliefs of the general population, they’ve been burning through their credibility and social capital, to the point now that practically no institution is trusted or respected. The ruling elite is thus getting somewhat panicky and desperate.

The various lawfare attacks on Trump were not signs of strength, they were signs of fear and panic, trying to suppress a possible Trump return _and_ trying to send a message to other would-be outsider candidates not to run. The message was ‘don’t run or we’ll destroy you!’ But Trump survived and was strengthened.

Have you noticed that ‘Maryland father Kilmar Garcia’ has almost vanished from the media discourse? A few weeks ago he was all they talked about, now they’re trying to change the subject, because for all the efforts of the media, the truth of the situation got out anyway and it was becoming a political liability.

Likewise, the scramble right now to find scapegoats for the Biden senility coverup. This has become a real problem for the Dems, and they’re flailing.

Which is not to say they’re beaten! But they do feel threatened in a way that they haven’t in their living memory…and they’re getting scared.

It’s a very fluid, unstable situation.

I suppose it depends on the definition of “decent”. If you mean competent and politically capable and knowledgeable in dem politics, capable of getting to presidential-level competition, that’s one thing.

But a “decent” person would have to buy the Dem platform all the way up–and down to the local.

So I guess it depends.

I agree.

The thing is that the 1970s is when the fundamental _cultural_ divide emerged in America (and across the West), a cultural divide that also overlaps a class divide. Thus politics began to take on the overtones of a _religious_ dispute. Personal emotional security, and fundamental issues of personal identity, began to be in play.

At the same time, a ruling elite emerged from the colleges in the 60s and 70s alienated from the general public in their own nation-states, and no little bit contemptuous of them.

A toxic brew.

Possibly, the pipeline from the donors, NGOs, foundations, law firms, advocacy groups ran straight to the White House and Biden’s team. Your father’s or grandfather’s Democratic Party no longer exists.

but in the bigger picture, who was going to call out the scranton apparatchiks nakedness it wasn’t going to be any of the so called mainstream press,,

I recall reading in at least one place that re-election was on the minds of the Biden kitchen cabinet from January 2021. I never thought the Kamala gambit made much sense, especially the claim Biden was a stalking horse to get her in the Oval Office. Subsequent reporting has been that Jill hated her which likely would have stymied a swap, in addition to the baksheesh that Hunter and co were gathering. Even Obama was a best lukewarm to her and was in favor of a primary or open convention (if you accept the spin on his actions). The Democrats greased the skids for Biden’s nomination in 2024, and certainly didn’t seem to have any standing plan for replacement when the debate turned into a disaster.

Winston Smith can remember back to the late 40s/early 50s, and can’t remember any other name for him but Big Brother, or any mention of him before the 1960s. Had he been a real person Smith should have remembered things about him like his real name, before he took over and could call himself whatever he wanted and make everyone go along–had Castro had that kind of power there would be people thirty years later who remembered a name other than El Jefe.

The Party doesn’t need a specific leader anyway, that’s the whole point of the ageless and anonymous Big Brother. The Party already wrote Big Brother into the history of the 1930s, which would make Big Brother something like 80 yet they portray him as in his 40s, they’re not even trying to create a plausible legend. The Party tries to create an eternal present.

the Resistance was fake

The one Winston Smith joined was fake. Hard to see how there could have been real ones, but perhaps.