Tuesday, November 23, 2021

“The Problem of Political Despair”

In The New York Times, Michelle Goldberg writes about “The Problem of Political Despair”:

Given the bleak trajectory of American politics, I worry about progressives retreating into private life to preserve their sanity, a retreat that will only hasten democracy’s decay. In order to get people to throw themselves into the fight to save this broken country, we need leaders who can convince them that they haven’t already lost.

comments: 6

Chris said...

It's so hard not to be pessimistic right now. There are too many things going on that should never have been allowed to happen. And we lack the kind of strong institutions and organizations that might hold the line. I don't think the country as a whole wants to see us drift into fascism, but we have a poor record when it comes to making the right decision.

Michael Leddy said...

Absolutely. This was one of those mornings when it seemed that the newspaper was talking to me.

Daughter Number Three said...

And how.

Not sure if this link will come through, but it's shows a needlepoint with a quote from activist Mariam Kaba that says "Let this radicalize you rather than lead you to despair." https://twitter.com/socialistdogmom/status/1463155977889501184?s=21

Michael Leddy said...

I like that. Here, I made it a link.

Geo-B said...

I have generally agreed and enthusiastically supported what Pres. Biden has done and said, but one problem is that he isn't inspirational. Obama is a guy who gets people excited, Biden less so.

Michael Leddy said...

Biden’s appeal seemed to be that of a calming agent — hey, things are gonna be okay. I don’t know if another candidate would have beaten you-know-who. But it’s hard to think about calm when the house is burning down.