Dan Ziblatt argues that right-of-center parties, historically, have sought electoral success in broad-franchise political systems by attempting to focus attention on issues other than plutocracy: on clashes either between economic sectors; or over cultural, ethnic, and nationalist issues. In America, there has been another approach: to argue that conservative pro-plutocracy economic policies are what they are they claiming they will not do what they will do. I join Duncan black in believing that this has had a corrosive impact on the discourse ethics of the American right and of many of the journalists who cover American politics: Duncan Black: No One Will Believe You https://www.eschatonblog.com/2019/11/no-one-will-believe-you.html: 'I think about this a lot: "For example, when Priorities informed a focus group that Romney supported the Ryan budget plan—and thus championed 'ending Medicare as we know it'—while also advocating tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, the respondents simply refused to believe any politician would do such a thing." It is a problem when you can completely accurately describe what Republicans very explicitly say they want and people will refuse to believe you and perhaps get mad at you for "lying" to them...
#noted #2019-12-01
