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Okay last shot at what I’m trying to describe: the right wing of the Democratic Party
This ideology is excessively patriotic without being jingoistic. It is not highly jingoistic, though it broadly supports or current wars, it is not in favor of invading Iran or Venezuela. It supports American soft power and backs coups, but opposes further explicit intervention.
Socially it is very moderate. Proponents usually support gay marriage, and racial equality, but this is primarily in its opposition to its chief foe: disorder. It is strongly and be gently opposed to disruptive protest of any sort, despite often speaking in confrontational terms.
It is vehemently opposed to the left, to an almost obsessive extent. It is prone to conspiracies and wild accusations about Sanders and AOC on its fringes. It believes the left is not only strategically flawed but morally and ethically antithetical to national stability.
It is sharply anti-Trump, but on specially patriotic grounds. It views American stability and international leadership as foundational, and considers any attempt to withdraw it a mortal enemy.
It’s primary focus is order, which it seeks to maintain in four ways.
The first is systemic stability. Any large shifts, any confrontations with the system, in either direction are suspect. This dovetails with the patriotism, it argues the presently existing American system as beyond reproach, and rejects left wing reforms, and right wing attacks
The second is institutional stability. It strongly supports the civil service of the country, from police, to the CIA, to the postal service. It is not proactively interested in expanding funding (although it will do so for the military and occasionally other services)
The third is opposition to political disruption. This movement is okay, in fact it embraces, vulgarity, but only within the very specific context of performative heteromasculinity in the service of pragmatism, or opposition to mass popular disruption.
It is distrustful of mass movements. It rejects populism, and reacts with fury at outside pressure. This is in the service of the final point: Pragmatism
The final crucial component is the ideology of Pragmatism. Not to be confused with actual pragmatic decision making, capital P Pragmatism is a specific ideology and worldview centered around a very specific idea of the American electorate
Unlike the moderates who run the party, and also embrace a certain view of Pragmatism, the right wing democrats worship this Pragmatism. They believe it is not just a means, but an end.
This Pragmatism constitutes many of things we’ve talked about above. It is also foundationally about rising above partisanship and, eventually, politics altogether. Trusting experts and the market, and resisting unpopular movements.
Pragmatism in this context is not just a matter of internal disagreement. Anyone in the party who is not Pragmatic is a threat to its very stability. They destabilize democracy and are effectively the same as conservatives. They may also be in league with foreign operatives.
