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The collapse of the political left
washingtonexaminer.com ^ | Michael Barone

Posted on 12/08/2016 4:48:39 AM PST by RoosterRedux

Things look different now, and not just because Donald Trump was elected president. It has been clear that most voters have been rejecting big government policies, and not just in the United States but in most democratic nations around the world.

Leftist politicians supposed that ordinary voters with modest incomes facing hard times would believe that regulation and redistribution would help them. Evidently most don't.

The rejection was apparent in the 2010 and subsequent House elections; Republicans have now won House majorities in ten of the last 12 elections, leaving 2006 and 2008 as temporary aberrations. You didn't hear Hillary Clinton campaign on the glories of Obamacare or the Iran nuclear deal, and her attack on "Trumped-up, trickle-down economics" didn't strike any chords in the modest-income Midwest.

Republican success has been even greater in governor and state legislature elections, to the point that Democrats hold governorships and legislative control only in California, Hawaii, Delaware and Rhode Island. After eight years of the Obama presidency, Democrats hold fewer elective offices than at any time since the 1920s.

Things look similar abroad. Britain's Conservatives, returned to government in 2010, are in a commanding position over a left-lurching Labour party. France's Socialist president, with single-digit approval, declined to run for a second term. European social democratic parties have been hemorrhaging votes, and got walloped in Sunday's Italian referendum. In Latin America and Asia, the left is declining or on the defensive.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: barone; theleft; trumptransition
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To: Pollster1

I hope so; shrinking the gubmint workforce is critical to that end because it is too easy for our government worker caste to use our own taxes against us...


41 posted on 12/08/2016 6:40:41 AM PST by kearnyirish2 (Affirmative action is economic warfare against white males (and therefore white families).)
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To: 1Old Pro

All that is true..... but beware being too happy


42 posted on 12/08/2016 6:41:13 AM PST by bert (K.E.; N.P.; GOPc;WASP .... Macroagression melts snowflakes)
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To: RoosterRedux

$oros ain’t broke yet, his dirty money is still out there. The dem-enemy was brought low. Like a cornered animal they will fight back.


43 posted on 12/08/2016 7:13:38 AM PST by rusureitflies? (Not much to say, yet.)
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To: RoosterRedux
believe that regulation and redistribution would help them

It would have helped the proles (in the short term before capital stock was exhausted) if they had indeed redistributed some wealth.

Unfortunately, yet another generation of "useful idiots" discovered the hard way that once elected on false promises, leftists always raid the public treasury for **themselves**.

This pattern has repeated itself many times over history, yet every generation has to learn the same life lessons firsthand.

44 posted on 12/08/2016 7:27:32 AM PST by semantic
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To: RoosterRedux

My only criticism of Trump so far is that he has not strongly advocated drastically reducing the size of government. Or did I miss something?


45 posted on 12/08/2016 7:46:45 AM PST by JimRed (Is it 1776 yet? TERM LIMITS, now and forever! Build the Wall, NOW!)
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To: The Sons of Liberty
We'll always have evil and stupidity.

Until His return and the defeat of evil.

46 posted on 12/08/2016 7:48:52 AM PST by JimRed (Is it 1776 yet? TERM LIMITS, now and forever! Build the Wall, NOW!)
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To: RoosterRedux
It has been clear that most voters have been rejecting big government policies, and not just in the United States but in most democratic nations around the world.

We're rejecting corrupt 'elite' policies... it's not JUST BIG GOVERNMENT - IT'S GOVERNMENT RUN FOR THE BENEFIT OF CORRUPT ELITE INSIDERS.

47 posted on 12/08/2016 7:49:04 AM PST by GOPJ ( What group is paying for the thousands of new digital New York Times subscriptions?)
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To: JimRed
It has been clear that most voters have been rejecting big government policies, and not just in the United States but in most democratic nations around the world.

We're rejecting corrupt 'elite' policies... it's not JUST BIG GOVERNMENT - IT'S GOVERNMENT RUN FOR THE BENEFIT OF CORRUPT ELITE INSIDERS.

JimRed - you're confusing Trump with Paul Ryan... Three ways to deal with debt/prosperity - either earn more, spend less, or both... Paul Ryan's a 'spend less'. Thump's an 'earn more' and 'both'.

48 posted on 12/08/2016 7:52:32 AM PST by GOPJ ( What group is paying for the thousands of new digital New York Times subscriptions?)
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To: ealgeone

They are losing power, but their influence in the social sphere by defining all debate with their views as hate, redefinition of marriage and gender, expectations that the state will take care of everyone all remain dominant.


49 posted on 12/08/2016 8:10:09 AM PST by tbw2
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To: sport

Liberals like Muslims see their goal as converting the world and judge morality as strengthening the position or increasing the influence of the ideology.


50 posted on 12/08/2016 8:12:35 AM PST by tbw2
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To: gusty; RoosterRedux; ml/nj; ExTexasRedhead; LucyT; Red Steel; Eleutheria5; theothercheek; ...
Considering that the right this election cycle offered them “big government” economic policies also, but in a more entertaining way than the left, the validity of Barone’s statement remains to be seen. By the way, is it all right to point out how far left we have moved lately, or are we supposed to continue to march in lock step.

Agreed. There really wasn't a true conservative on the presidential ballot in the general election. That much was decided in the GOP primary contests, just as it was in 2008 and 2012.

Trump became the only hope to slow down the relentless march to the left. It's not that voters rejected the left completely, but wanted to to cut back on its excesses (especially regarding immigration, national security and the economy), as personified by Obama and Clinton.

51 posted on 12/11/2016 7:03:44 AM PST by justiceseeker93
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To: CitizenUSA

The Left will scream if you attempt to slow leftward movement. They will go into hysterics if you attempt to halt leftward movement for a while. They will go into rage if you attempt to reverse Leftist gains.

The lesson from this, is that if they are going to scream anyway, you might as well “go big”. Like Machiavelli once said, “do not do your enemy a small injury”. Do things to permanently cripple their power. I remember the screaming in Wisconsin when Scott Walker and the WI Republicans fought to pass Right to Work. It was a long and bitter fight, but the result was a permanent crippling of one of the Dems main bases of support.

Trump needs to do similar things : identify things which will permanently cripple the Dems, and go for them. Eliminate government unions.
Slash funding to leftist universities. Etc


52 posted on 12/11/2016 7:26:45 AM PST by SauronOfMordor (Socialists want YOUR wealth redistributed, never THEIRS!)
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To: SauronOfMordor

Completely close the Department of Education.


53 posted on 12/11/2016 7:27:59 AM PST by wintertime (Stop treating government teachers like they are reincarnated Mother Teresas!)
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To: justiceseeker93

One problem for leftists historically is that when you try to create a movement based on anything goes, it is impossible to restrain or constrain it. Communes fail because nobody wants to work, and any attempt to make them do so makes one a “Nazi”. When leftist groups tried to defend the communist government of Spain against a military coup in 1936, they fell apart as the central government tried to impose its authority on a coalition of leftists determined to resist authority.

For Democrats, this cost them the Green and Libertarian voters - who definitely could have swung the election to her. Hillary wasn’t “leftist” enough...


54 posted on 12/11/2016 7:30:20 AM PST by kearnyirish2 (Affirmative action is economic warfare against white males (and therefore white families).)
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To: tbw2
Re: Conversion

The Marx-O-Left controls the culture: Schools, The Media, Entertainment, The Arts, and many of the Churches.

Unless, conservatives start taking control of the culture the Marx-O-Left will eventually win.

Yet...I see little awareness , urgency, or concern by conservatives. Even here on Free Republic articles on the culture get only a fraction of responses that political issue of the day get.

55 posted on 12/11/2016 7:32:35 AM PST by wintertime (Stop treating government teachers like they are reincarnated Mother Teresas!)
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To: justiceseeker93

Yikes! You mean he’s really the boy with his finger in the dyke?!


56 posted on 12/11/2016 8:26:38 AM PST by Eleutheria5 (“If you are not prepared to use force to defend civilization, then be prepared to accept barbarism.)
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To: SauronOfMordor

But really, that’s all that Lincoln wanted to do, to contain slavery and impose tariffs on manufactured goods. That was enough to make the South go apes@#$ at the time. It may yet suffice to start CW II. Same mindset, different era.


57 posted on 12/11/2016 8:30:04 AM PST by Eleutheria5 (“If you are not prepared to use force to defend civilization, then be prepared to accept barbarism.)
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To: kearnyirish2
Look at the people below. There are millions like them in America. They are fully indoctrinated by the socialists and will never, ever turn conservative.

I'm sure President Trump is going to go a great job and will put himself in position for a strong re-election effort in 2020 but these folks will always be among us. We must be forever vigilant and be looking to bring up new talent beyond Donald Trump and Mike Pence.


58 posted on 12/11/2016 8:38:28 AM PST by SamAdams76
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To: SamAdams76
Yikes!


59 posted on 12/11/2016 8:44:00 AM PST by SamAdams76
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To: CitizenUSA

The left is still far too entrenched in both local and national government bureaucracies. For too long, both parties have been big-government advocates who have left us with entrenched civil servants faithful to the leftist cause. Elections don’t get rid of those folks. The swamp is deep, and wide.


60 posted on 12/11/2016 9:02:42 AM PST by RightField
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