Jeet, in the vagueness of the term "flat-footed response", I detect an underlying uncertainty about what sort of response from the powers that be would satisfy both you AND the attracted-to-the-right masses. Would more wealth redistribution hit the spot? Fairer rule of law? I'm not saying there aren't major improvements to be made, but it is much easier to vaguely wave in the direction of a presumed populism-but-not-racist-populism policy agenda than it is to articulate one. If these people are so focused on the loss of liberty because of mask and vaccine mandates, of all things, are they really just a few affordable housing and corporate tax reform bills away from being brought back into the fold? Or is the problem more intractable, and more ugly, than your hand-waving suggests?
Ed West at "The Upheaval" substack has written about the truckers perceptively. A brief excerpt:
"For our purposes here, let’s call these two classes the Physicals and the Virtuals, respectively.
When considering the causes and character of the current protest, and the response to it, I would say the divide between Physicals and Virtuals is by far the most relevant frame of analysis available. In fact I’d say this is among the most significant divides in all of Western politics today.
Much has rightly been made of the “working class” and their alienation from “the elite.” But this phrasing comes mixed up with associations about material wealth and economic class that aren’t necessarily helpful......"
Jeet, in the vagueness of the term "flat-footed response", I detect an underlying uncertainty about what sort of response from the powers that be would satisfy both you AND the attracted-to-the-right masses. Would more wealth redistribution hit the spot? Fairer rule of law? I'm not saying there aren't major improvements to be made, but it is much easier to vaguely wave in the direction of a presumed populism-but-not-racist-populism policy agenda than it is to articulate one. If these people are so focused on the loss of liberty because of mask and vaccine mandates, of all things, are they really just a few affordable housing and corporate tax reform bills away from being brought back into the fold? Or is the problem more intractable, and more ugly, than your hand-waving suggests?
Here are Two More Trucker Stories for your consideration, from the It Could Happen Here Podcast:
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-it-could-happen-here-30717896/episode/canadian-freedom-convoy-part-1-origins-92922668/
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-it-could-happen-here-30717896/episode/canadian-freedom-convoy-part-2-border-92975741/
(I lied, it is only one story, in two parts, but it seems very comprehensive)
Ed West at "The Upheaval" substack has written about the truckers perceptively. A brief excerpt:
"For our purposes here, let’s call these two classes the Physicals and the Virtuals, respectively.
When considering the causes and character of the current protest, and the response to it, I would say the divide between Physicals and Virtuals is by far the most relevant frame of analysis available. In fact I’d say this is among the most significant divides in all of Western politics today.
Much has rightly been made of the “working class” and their alienation from “the elite.” But this phrasing comes mixed up with associations about material wealth and economic class that aren’t necessarily helpful......"
https://theupheaval.substack.com/p/reality-honks-back