Here’s a common error: thinking that refusing to deal with Republicans is a surrender to tribalism.
That suggests Republicans are merely a “tribe.”
The truth is different. They’ve defined themselves exclusively by their tribalism.
They aren’t a tribe. They’re tribalism itself.
That suggests Republicans are merely a “tribe.”
The truth is different. They’ve defined themselves exclusively by their tribalism.
They aren’t a tribe. They’re tribalism itself.
“Meet me in the middle,” says the unjust man.
You step toward him. He steps away.
“Meet me in the middle,” he says.
You step toward him. He steps away.
“Meet me in the middle,” he says.
Republicans have taken children hostage to achieve their ends, b/c they know we empathize with people outside our tribe, and they think that is a weakness.
If we deal with them, we accept their framing, which is that child hostages can be used in politics.
They’ll never stop.
If we deal with them, we accept their framing, which is that child hostages can be used in politics.
They’ll never stop.
To deal with them is to aquiese to a framing that political compromise is necessary to save these children, when the reality is that all that’s needed is for Republicans to stop harming them.
Which then creates the reality they want, in which that’s how we do politics.
Which then creates the reality they want, in which that’s how we do politics.
Compromise here is literally—LITERALLY—surrender to tribalism.
We don’t refuse to deal with Republicans b/c we’re tribalist and they aren’t in our “tribe.”
We refuse b/c we’re anti-tribalist and the only world they will deal for is an exclusionary tribalist one.
And they’ll cheat the deal b/c cheating other “tribes” is, to them, virtuous.
We refuse b/c we’re anti-tribalist and the only world they will deal for is an exclusionary tribalist one.
And they’ll cheat the deal b/c cheating other “tribes” is, to them, virtuous.
