And I think this is where so much MAGA support comes from. They heavily lean into acknowledgement that things AREN’T good. They’re BAD. You’re NOT CRAZY for thinking they’re FUCKED, and the urgency you feel is APPROPRIATE.
I think you’re right that this is a big part of it. Most people seem to have some degree of understanding that they are fucked. But they don’t know how to express it or what to do about it. The Republicans play on that inner anxiety, but the Democrats try to steer away from it. I don’t want to say that the Democrats should be playing on people’s anxieties the way the Republicans do, but it clearly works politically.
I think you’re right that this is a big part of it. Most people seem to have some degree of understanding that they are fucked. But they don’t know how to express it or what to do about it. The Republicans play on that inner anxiety, but the Democrats try to steer away from it. I don’t want to say that the Democrats should be playing on people’s anxieties the way the Republicans do, but it clearly works politically.