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About that shutdown.... [1]

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Date: 2023-09-29  

From Why People Love Authoritarians:

A recent study in the United States showed that people living in ZIP codes with a history of economic hardship were more likely to support authoritarian qualities in their local leaders. This finding is consistent with a three-decade study analyzing the values and opinions of people around the world. That study shows that when a group feels economic uncertainty, they not only tend to favor more authoritarian leaders, they are more willing to suspend democratic norms and excuse unethical behavior. What’s interesting about these studies is that the correlation holds true regardless of political ideology. As long as they were experiencing economic hardship, people who consider themselves liberal or conservative were equally as likely to increase their support for authoritarian-type leaders.

(Give it a go—it’s only about four minutes long.)

The nihilists in the House know that what they’re doing to cause a government shutdown is likely to trigger a recession.

Throughout the Covid recovery, economists were debating whether a recession was in the offing, and finally we had made it through, keeping such a calamity at bay. (The president even put his name on the deft maneuvers, proudly calling them Bidenomics.) It was therefore unacceptable that Speaker-in-name Kevin McCarthy would sign off on any funding through 2024 to keep the government afloat.

For the Chaos Caucus, it is more important to cause people pain than it is to fulfill their fiduciary duty.

They want to inflict this pain. They are institutional sadists. Indeed, this is part of their philosophy: conservatives believe that people are born inherently bad, so the way to train them is through punishment. Pain is an instrument by which they get people to do what they want them to do.

This economic pain that they’re promising not only is instrumental, it’s strategic. It’s clear that any economic hardship that comes out of this shutdown will have effects that linger into 2024’s election season and beyond. Turning these thumbscrews will have the paradoxical effect of getting more Americans to vote for the people turning the screws.

This move, unfortunately, looks to increase the rebels’ authoritarian base. And McCarthy, wittingly or not, has played the foil. For his troubles, his extortionists are now plotting his ouster. (Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy, amirite?)

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/9/29/2196300/-About-that-shutdown

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