You post is exactly right. I would only put Gramsci ahead of the Frankfurt School and Alinsky. He realized early on that Lenin’s menthod would not work in Europe and America. First, the populations needed to be unmoored from their cultural and religious underpinnings. Destroy the belief in a people’s culture, history and religion, and they won’t even defend themselves against Marxist subversion, especially if the subversion is covert and always couched in the language of democracy. And Gramsci was 100% correct. The Left has succeeded in its “long march through the institutions.” Our options are few and our prognosis grim.
I view them as opportunities to excel and I have optimism that a few good men can change a lot.
I've seen it up close and personal where I work. I singlehandedly changed a very large, very intransigent policy. You know my employer so you know the magnitude of that accomplishment.
Optimism, and always try to raise morale of the troops!