Here’s how Stoermer describes Liberal Nationalism and the role it plays in american politics:
There’s a belief system that combines two things — first, that change must happen through official channels (voting, courts, proper debate), and second, that this procedural faith is wrapped in American exceptionalism. The system isn’t just legitimate. It is sacred because America itself is exceptional.
Now here’s where it gets complicated. Klein says the project is “the American experiment.” Newsom builds on that. Kirk said the same things, but meant something completely different. Kirk’s American experiment would destroy Klein’s and Newsom’s — he wanted to dismantle multiracial democracy, restrict voting, and return to what he called the real Founders’ vision. That would end everything Klein and Newsom claim to value.
Yet Klein’s nationalism enables Kirk’s. By treating Kirk’s anti-democratic project as legitimate discourse within the American experiment, by claiming they share common ground, Klein validates extremism as just another voice in the great American conversation.
And I keep wondering: Does the white Christian nationalist movement understand something about liberal nationalism that we don’t? Do they realize that as long as they frame their goals in terms of the Constitution, the Founders, and the American experiment, individuals like Klein will always find common ground with them?
I found other notable liberal figures saying similar things while perusing twitter. Notably senator John Fetterman recently insisted that americans (sorry, I refuse to capitalize demonyms. Sue me) should stop calling Trump an autocrat and pleaded for toning down the anti-Trump rhetoric. To me this attitude plays right into MAGA’s hands. This is the kind of stuff that whitewashes bigotry and helps reactionaries move the Overton window further right.
I would venture that in a similar situation, on this side of the pond we would be out on the streets, striking the economy to a screeching halt. But in the US, there seems to be this nationalist bootlicking mentality that prevents people from even considering direct action, simply because they believe the system will somehow fix itself and everything will be honky dory in the end.
I can’t help but think the US of A was never truly the haven of freedom we were told it was. And as much as I appreciate the comparably stronger fighting spirit of the working class here, I’m not sure it will be enough to resist the rise of the far right here in Europe either, propped up by the ever influential american politics. I’m a pessimist, so please give me hope, or don’t. Thoughts, please?
Allan Miller,
Can you list what you think are his policy failures? He has been in office 9 months so in fairness you probable have too little time to judge this.
What do you think he has done well if anything? Do you think the last administration did a better job in the first 9 months, if so how?
On my counting, this is the fifth round of these already answered questions. Maybe sixth. The guy who never answers anything and never cites a fact keeps going round in circles just for the pure joy of cultism.
On the other hand, his consistent behavior is entirely in line with his messiah, who also repeats nonsense endlessly, gets all his facts wrong and whose ignorance is impenetrable. Bill has found a soul brother (and happiness).
While I am sympathetic to the goal of reducing the size of the federal government, what DOGE attempted is like taking a machete to a patient in need of a bowel resection. Not good. I will agree that it is too early to assess the consequences of his environmental deregulation, but it looks like standard kleptocracy to me. So let’s go with the obvious ones: his immigration ‘crackdown’ is a racist pile of shit that will drive us into a recession, his tariffs are already costing American consumers money, and that’s about to get a lot worse. His defunding of scientific research is batshit crazy, and ending ACA subsidies is going to drive many citizens to bankruptcy.
I think Trump’s done an admirable job of demonstrating how spineless the Republican Congress is. Tuesday’s election results demonstrate that. Given your “the electorate is always right” fetish, that’s gotta hurt.
Biden avoided a pandemic-induced recession, but I don’t see how your weird comparisons are useful. Biden didn’t commit any war-crimes in the Caribbean either…
Of course, you won’t engage on any of these topics.