What amazed me is that Trump managed to deeply entrench himself in suburban Republicans. I had several family friends growing up that were that sort of "I'm socially liberal but fiscally conservative" folks that supported gay marriage but have since jumped the fucking shark into crazy town.
The surprising thing to me is just how little backbone those asshats have.
Not all of us. That used to describe me. But I realized fiscal conservatism isn't being responsible with money, it's using money to pursue a conservative social agenda. Now I'm just a cheap liberal.
In a saner world, I'd probably consider myself a conservative, in the world we actually live in though, I'm not touching anything the conservative parties have anything to do with.
I generally think that things should overall trend towards being more liberal, and conservatism should just kind of be a moderating factor, not really working against a liberal agenda, just kind of slowing it down, making sure everything is fully thought through before we jump into anything, that the plans and funding and contingencies and such are in place, and in some cases just slowing things down because some stubborn assholes (mostly the current "conservatives") need to be eased into certain changes because their tiny minds will explode if you go to fast
"Socially liberal but fiscally conservative," they say, while voting exclusively for candidates who are socially conservative and fiscally corrupt. It's always smacked of "I'm not racist, but..." to me.
The only reason suburbs even became a thing in this country was because white people with FHA loans wanted nice houses close to their jobs and the amenities of cities but didn't want their tax money going to fund black kids schools, and a lot (not all but a lot) of "socially liberal but fiscally conservative" people just want to get recognition for being an ally but descend into the kind of thinking and talking that would make Stephen Miller blush the moment they're actually asked to actually do anything to support marginalized communities, so I'm not surprised at all to see suburban Republicans fall for this
The only reason suburbs even became a thing in this country was because white people with FHA loans wanted nice houses close to their jobs and the amenities of cities but didn’t want their tax money going to fund black kids schools,
Hang on, that doesn't track with history as I know it currently.
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) is where the whole garbage "separate but equal" logic came from including on school funding where everyone but whites got poor resources for schools.
Suburbs were created as a result of soldiers returning from WWII which would have been starting in 1945 with a the majority in 1946 after VJ day with the Japanese surrendering.
It would be another 8 years before Brown v Board of Education (1954) shot down "separate but equal" for schools allowing integration, and even then it wouldn't have meant instant emptying of inner cities for suburbs until the early 60s or so.
So suburbs already were a thing and not caused by white people not wanting to fund black schools. Yes, exit to suburbs accelerated because of that, but suburbs weren't created because of it.
The 'burbs mostly got built by GIs returning from WWII. There wasn't room enough in the cities for all of them. I strongly doubt that "tax money going to fund black kids schools" was even a thought for most of them, let alone a primary motivator.
That was from a recent campaign speech in Iowa where it was dangerously hot outside. He joked that he didn't care if people dropped dead from the heat, as long as people voted for him first.
"Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] party, and they’re sure trying to do so, it’s going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can’t and won’t compromise. I know, I’ve tried to deal with them."
This was the sack of shit who successfully dealt with segregationists and brought them fully into the Republican party with his Presidential campaign in 1964, so I'm sure he did try with the preachers too
The US has pretty much always made Social Progress in bursts. We do a whole bunch at once then do nothing for a time while things settle in. Eventually pressure starts to build as we recognize more injustices and when it builds far enough there's another burst of Social Progress.
We're currently headed into another burst but its been delayed by the sheer numbers of old people who are clinging to the levers of power until the Grim Reaper pries them off. This is entirely unique in the history of this country because prior to the 1950s or so people simply didn't live or stay healthy long enough for this problem to manifest.
Well Abraham Lincoln did get a letter from Karl Marx congratulating him on a winning second term and how the civil war's fight against slavery was a huge positive direction for workers all across the world. And Franklin Roosevelt despite blemishes like the internment of Japanese American citizens did a lot for protections for the working class.
In the early 20th century due to growing social unrest around the world and socialist populism. The Democratic Party did for at least one presidency lean significantly further to the center than it does today. However that particular president failed to hold fascists accountable and despite making huge short-term gains. Long-term lost the game.