The reason some leftist politicians sound like Trump is because of one word: populism. Neoliberal economic policies have grown increasingly unpopular these days. People feel destitute and hopeless. In 2016, Sanders was the left wing populist and he lost the primary. But Trump the right wing populist won.
I've talked a lot about this in my own writing: If either party wants to win going forward, they need to stop the identity politics of race/gender/sexual orientation and focus on class. Wokeness is a losing strategy and is why Democrats are now seen as elite and out-of-touch. Working class people don't want pronoun circles and land acknowledgements.
Oh, Bari......The fact that Khanna gets a few things right doesn't make up for the fact that his worldview is 180 degrees wrong.
He claims, for example, that, "it's a lazy response to say that Twitter’s a private company. That may get you a good grade in high school, but everyone who's taken a constitutional law class knows that. The point is, of course, they're a private entity. The question then becomes, What is the responsibility of private entities to democracy and the public sphere?" No, Ro (and Bari). We don't care if twitter was a proggie paradise. The issue is that our government, including the reprehensible FBI, was suppressing speech - going so far as to work actively to throw the 2020 election to Biden. And THAT my dear friends is the patent First Amendment violation and a slouching shamble to actual treason.
He then embarrasses himself by asserting "In a 2016 debate, Senator Marco Rubio said, ‘America needs more plumbers. We need less philosophers.’ And I was thinking to myself, James Madison was a philosopher. Our founders were philosophers." Nonsense. Madison was the only Founder who could arguably fit that description. To the contrary, our Founders had real jobs and were great successes in their communities because they were successes in life. Adams was an esteemed and successful lawyer. Jefferson and Washington were successful planters. Most of the signers of the Declaration were prominent and successful men. We do not need more career pols. We need term limits and citizen legislators. And laws against them becoming lobbyists. And, yes, successful plumbers and electricians who can actually do things informing our public policy. Not rent seeking eggheads.
In addition to other delusions, Khanna really goes off the rails when he states: "You can’t just ban Donald Trump, but not ban other autocratic leaders who have threatened violence or led to hate against targeted groups." Autocratic? Like Putin or the mullahs??? There were no political prisoners under President Trump. And despite the fevered cries of "Lock her up," not one of Obama's flacks was arrested under the Trump administration. In dramatic contrast to Biden and his diminutive Beria, Garland. Talk about autocrats. In fact, the senile imbecile whom Khanna said he supports, routinely violates the Constitution as well as subverting our laws, including our immigration laws.
I continue to admire Bari, and her conversion from the depths of leftist idiocy. But in articles such as this, she shows she still has a ways to go to a full restoration of sanity and probity.
“I’ll be behind President Biden in 2024”. OK, just forget everything else he said above. If he can’t acknowledge Biden is unfit to be President now, and thinks he deserves 4 more years in the WH, total face slap. Ugh.
I respect Ro Khanna for being the most vocal dem on this issue. The view he holds about Hunter being a private citizen is one I will never hold. It's not about Hunter, it's about influence peddling involving someone with whom he shares a last name.
This is why I subscribe to Bari - viewpoints I don't get anywhere else.
It's interesting that so many members of Congress are rational, even brilliant on their own - but as a group seem to have lost their way. Has it always been this way?
Sounds like he sees lots of issues impacting people’s lives. However, saw no solutions coming from him. He’s a rich liberal from possibly the one state heading for self destruction. He backs a guy who is barely functioning and obviously controlled by others with a crook son.
No matter what, it was twitter and Trump in his discussion. Never open borders or run away government spending or just stupid policies that are hurtling the average American.
Not impressed with this and see a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
“It’s like you're doubly censoring. You’re censoring in the first place. And then you're censoring the emotion of being upset about being censored.”
——————————————————
I can’t say it enough how much I would not really care about any of this if the government didn’t steal half of my money.
If Google was shutting off my electricity every other weekend I wouldn’t really care that much as long as my federal tax rate was ten percent, which is more than enough to pay for the military.
I have not listened to the podcast but recently read Mr Khann's op-ed in WSJ. More importantly I have perused many of the comments below. The points I want to express are not about Big Tech but rather about the dialogue that appears regularly on this site ( and a few others). In perhaps most cases, I find the comments and the back and forth more interesting , informative and thought provoking than the article or podcast that was posted by TFP. The discussion is generally at a high level and reminds me of my high school, college and post-college days when friends would discuss , probe and debate every issue imaginable and do so in depth . No emphasis memes or acronyms. Real substance. Now compare that to today's high schools and colleges and our under 30 crowd. Think about we have witnessed at places like Yale , Middlebury ,and countless other campuses where kids tell us they need safe spaces and then assault anyone and everyone who they allege hurt their feelings with a sentence or a word or an actual reasoned or fact based argument or position. Contrast the discussions each day with what appears on almost every television or cable NEWS program or a show like the View. I do not hold out much hope that things will change for the better with respect to our so called educational institutions or our media but I am very grateful that we can still have dialogue and debate in this venue and others. Keep the discussion going and thank you all fellow readers for adding insight and enjoyment to my days.
Bari I tried I really really did you have challenge us the subscriber to listen to both sides of any given argument and I have listened to every episode all the way through but at the 18:42 mark approximately when he said "I don't think Covid came from a lab" I had to turn it off. Maybe I will try it again another day but I really have no time for someone with their head that far up their ass as to deny where it came from in Dec. 2022. In the words of the leader of his party "Come on Man!'
Ro Khanna has supported the Equity Act, which would cement transgender ideology into federal law.
Ro Khanna supported the defund the police movement.
Ro Khanna is advocated for unrestricted abortion up to birth and sponsored the "Womens Health Protection Act"
Ro Khanna has repeatedly stated his opposition to guns of nearly all types, favoring registration, licensing, and bans of the most popular legally owned guns in America.
Ro Khanna is a partisan hack who should be treated as such, not giving a large megaphone by one of the most significant independent journalists today. During the Summer of Saint Floyd 2 years ago, he sounded like a uber-progressive. Today he sounds like a populist. Tomorrow he'll sign on to authoritarian Leftism.
We didn’t lose our industries; we murdered them. We choked them to death with high taxes, crushing regulations, counterproductive unions, social justice ideologies, and socialist ideas hammered into generations of schoolchildren by hard core Democrat teachers.
Mr. Khanna makes a few appropriate noises to project an air of common sense and outreach to the forgotten workers and lovers of free speech, but at the end of the day, he still backs a quasi-socialist left wing party that is driving America into the ditch.
I always thought of Khanna as an over the edge Prog. The statements here give me pause.
But, still a politician so my skepticism meter remains operational. I only hope he heeds his own words.
Oh, by the way, this: “And, by the way, isn’t that the core of what the Democratic Party is supposed to be about? “ is a delusion. Political parties are about power, not people. The Dems have never been about working people than Republicans were all about country clubs. When you think that way you fall into traps. Now the Silicon Valley is swimming in cash and Wall Street is swimming in ESG ideology, the Democrat Party is the party of money. The Republicans are thus the party of the middle of the country are increasingly the party of the center, of the people. But they also chase money and will embrace any significant donor classes and find excuses to justify it.
OK, I've still to listen to the podcast (which I really do not like to do - can't skip over stuff in a podcast that needs to be skipped over!).
But I took a few minutes to check out Khanna on the Internet. Still working on it but two things of note from his Wikipedia entry:
1. His source of wealth appears to be his spouse's family: his father-in-law started Transfer -you've seen their 18-wheelers on the highways. Elsewise, I can't see that he's personally made enough to be individually wealthy.
2. Khanna has taken a position on an amazing number of issues. Nearly all down-the-line Prog positions.
Much as this position on Twitter might appeal to a Centrist, or even a slightly left of center Centrist, the truth of Khanna is he is pretty hard left. Maybe he is starting to moderate for possible future office, but I don't think his history suggests he will move to the center. He has lived in the California echo chamber for more than a decade.
“It’s like you're doubly censoring. You’re censoring in the first place. And then you're censoring the emotion of being upset about being censored. I think until we start to have a conversation where we're understanding where each other are coming from there's no hope for stitching the country together.”
What was left out of the conversation (based on the synopsis) is the corruption of government law enforcement and intelligence institutions that ally themselves with the Democrat party and Big Tech to censor speech.
The reason some leftist politicians sound like Trump is because of one word: populism. Neoliberal economic policies have grown increasingly unpopular these days. People feel destitute and hopeless. In 2016, Sanders was the left wing populist and he lost the primary. But Trump the right wing populist won.
I've talked a lot about this in my own writing: If either party wants to win going forward, they need to stop the identity politics of race/gender/sexual orientation and focus on class. Wokeness is a losing strategy and is why Democrats are now seen as elite and out-of-touch. Working class people don't want pronoun circles and land acknowledgements.
Oh, Bari......The fact that Khanna gets a few things right doesn't make up for the fact that his worldview is 180 degrees wrong.
He claims, for example, that, "it's a lazy response to say that Twitter’s a private company. That may get you a good grade in high school, but everyone who's taken a constitutional law class knows that. The point is, of course, they're a private entity. The question then becomes, What is the responsibility of private entities to democracy and the public sphere?" No, Ro (and Bari). We don't care if twitter was a proggie paradise. The issue is that our government, including the reprehensible FBI, was suppressing speech - going so far as to work actively to throw the 2020 election to Biden. And THAT my dear friends is the patent First Amendment violation and a slouching shamble to actual treason.
He then embarrasses himself by asserting "In a 2016 debate, Senator Marco Rubio said, ‘America needs more plumbers. We need less philosophers.’ And I was thinking to myself, James Madison was a philosopher. Our founders were philosophers." Nonsense. Madison was the only Founder who could arguably fit that description. To the contrary, our Founders had real jobs and were great successes in their communities because they were successes in life. Adams was an esteemed and successful lawyer. Jefferson and Washington were successful planters. Most of the signers of the Declaration were prominent and successful men. We do not need more career pols. We need term limits and citizen legislators. And laws against them becoming lobbyists. And, yes, successful plumbers and electricians who can actually do things informing our public policy. Not rent seeking eggheads.
In addition to other delusions, Khanna really goes off the rails when he states: "You can’t just ban Donald Trump, but not ban other autocratic leaders who have threatened violence or led to hate against targeted groups." Autocratic? Like Putin or the mullahs??? There were no political prisoners under President Trump. And despite the fevered cries of "Lock her up," not one of Obama's flacks was arrested under the Trump administration. In dramatic contrast to Biden and his diminutive Beria, Garland. Talk about autocrats. In fact, the senile imbecile whom Khanna said he supports, routinely violates the Constitution as well as subverting our laws, including our immigration laws.
I continue to admire Bari, and her conversion from the depths of leftist idiocy. But in articles such as this, she shows she still has a ways to go to a full restoration of sanity and probity.
“I’ll be behind President Biden in 2024”. OK, just forget everything else he said above. If he can’t acknowledge Biden is unfit to be President now, and thinks he deserves 4 more years in the WH, total face slap. Ugh.
"On unchecked free market capitalism"
We have not had "unchecked free market capitalism" in over a century. What we have is crony capitalism foisted upon us by our betters in government.
I respect Ro Khanna for being the most vocal dem on this issue. The view he holds about Hunter being a private citizen is one I will never hold. It's not about Hunter, it's about influence peddling involving someone with whom he shares a last name.
This is why I subscribe to Bari - viewpoints I don't get anywhere else.
It's interesting that so many members of Congress are rational, even brilliant on their own - but as a group seem to have lost their way. Has it always been this way?
Is it leadership that makes the difference?
Sounds like he sees lots of issues impacting people’s lives. However, saw no solutions coming from him. He’s a rich liberal from possibly the one state heading for self destruction. He backs a guy who is barely functioning and obviously controlled by others with a crook son.
No matter what, it was twitter and Trump in his discussion. Never open borders or run away government spending or just stupid policies that are hurtling the average American.
Not impressed with this and see a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
“It’s like you're doubly censoring. You’re censoring in the first place. And then you're censoring the emotion of being upset about being censored.”
——————————————————
I can’t say it enough how much I would not really care about any of this if the government didn’t steal half of my money.
If Google was shutting off my electricity every other weekend I wouldn’t really care that much as long as my federal tax rate was ten percent, which is more than enough to pay for the military.
The government is way too big, you idiots.
I have not listened to the podcast but recently read Mr Khann's op-ed in WSJ. More importantly I have perused many of the comments below. The points I want to express are not about Big Tech but rather about the dialogue that appears regularly on this site ( and a few others). In perhaps most cases, I find the comments and the back and forth more interesting , informative and thought provoking than the article or podcast that was posted by TFP. The discussion is generally at a high level and reminds me of my high school, college and post-college days when friends would discuss , probe and debate every issue imaginable and do so in depth . No emphasis memes or acronyms. Real substance. Now compare that to today's high schools and colleges and our under 30 crowd. Think about we have witnessed at places like Yale , Middlebury ,and countless other campuses where kids tell us they need safe spaces and then assault anyone and everyone who they allege hurt their feelings with a sentence or a word or an actual reasoned or fact based argument or position. Contrast the discussions each day with what appears on almost every television or cable NEWS program or a show like the View. I do not hold out much hope that things will change for the better with respect to our so called educational institutions or our media but I am very grateful that we can still have dialogue and debate in this venue and others. Keep the discussion going and thank you all fellow readers for adding insight and enjoyment to my days.
Bari I tried I really really did you have challenge us the subscriber to listen to both sides of any given argument and I have listened to every episode all the way through but at the 18:42 mark approximately when he said "I don't think Covid came from a lab" I had to turn it off. Maybe I will try it again another day but I really have no time for someone with their head that far up their ass as to deny where it came from in Dec. 2022. In the words of the leader of his party "Come on Man!'
Ro Khanna has supported the Equity Act, which would cement transgender ideology into federal law.
Ro Khanna supported the defund the police movement.
Ro Khanna is advocated for unrestricted abortion up to birth and sponsored the "Womens Health Protection Act"
Ro Khanna has repeatedly stated his opposition to guns of nearly all types, favoring registration, licensing, and bans of the most popular legally owned guns in America.
Ro Khanna is a partisan hack who should be treated as such, not giving a large megaphone by one of the most significant independent journalists today. During the Summer of Saint Floyd 2 years ago, he sounded like a uber-progressive. Today he sounds like a populist. Tomorrow he'll sign on to authoritarian Leftism.
We didn’t lose our industries; we murdered them. We choked them to death with high taxes, crushing regulations, counterproductive unions, social justice ideologies, and socialist ideas hammered into generations of schoolchildren by hard core Democrat teachers.
Mr. Khanna makes a few appropriate noises to project an air of common sense and outreach to the forgotten workers and lovers of free speech, but at the end of the day, he still backs a quasi-socialist left wing party that is driving America into the ditch.
I always thought of Khanna as an over the edge Prog. The statements here give me pause.
But, still a politician so my skepticism meter remains operational. I only hope he heeds his own words.
Oh, by the way, this: “And, by the way, isn’t that the core of what the Democratic Party is supposed to be about? “ is a delusion. Political parties are about power, not people. The Dems have never been about working people than Republicans were all about country clubs. When you think that way you fall into traps. Now the Silicon Valley is swimming in cash and Wall Street is swimming in ESG ideology, the Democrat Party is the party of money. The Republicans are thus the party of the middle of the country are increasingly the party of the center, of the people. But they also chase money and will embrace any significant donor classes and find excuses to justify it.
OK, I've still to listen to the podcast (which I really do not like to do - can't skip over stuff in a podcast that needs to be skipped over!).
But I took a few minutes to check out Khanna on the Internet. Still working on it but two things of note from his Wikipedia entry:
1. His source of wealth appears to be his spouse's family: his father-in-law started Transfer -you've seen their 18-wheelers on the highways. Elsewise, I can't see that he's personally made enough to be individually wealthy.
2. Khanna has taken a position on an amazing number of issues. Nearly all down-the-line Prog positions.
Much as this position on Twitter might appeal to a Centrist, or even a slightly left of center Centrist, the truth of Khanna is he is pretty hard left. Maybe he is starting to moderate for possible future office, but I don't think his history suggests he will move to the center. He has lived in the California echo chamber for more than a decade.
“It’s like you're doubly censoring. You’re censoring in the first place. And then you're censoring the emotion of being upset about being censored. I think until we start to have a conversation where we're understanding where each other are coming from there's no hope for stitching the country together.”
He’s a democrat from a Time Machine.
What was left out of the conversation (based on the synopsis) is the corruption of government law enforcement and intelligence institutions that ally themselves with the Democrat party and Big Tech to censor speech.