Thread by @michaelmalice

One of the laziest methods of political analysis is the claim that nothing ever changes
Not only is this an uninformed take, it's simply untrue
The post Cold War is a vastly different place in very many fundamental ways

Something similar is happening in American politics
For many years the dance went something like this
The Nancys Pelosi go on tv and attack the evil Republicans
She gets to raise money by claiming, truthfully, that she is leading the fight against them

The Mitchs McConnell go on tv and attack the evil Democrats
He get to raise money by claiming, truthfully, that he is leading the fight against them

While the two engage in a pantomime, the Cathedral remains untouched and gets to lob grenades from safety

There is now a broad and increasing understanding among the populace, especially on the right, that Nancy Pelosi is nowhere near as nefarious as the New York Times editorial board and the Harvard law faculty

Any politician has to hobnob with the masses and will have support from some very trashy people. They aren't in a position, especially psychologically, to be as holier-than-thou as the Times and fair Harvard. It's there, but nowhere near to the extent.

Pelosi and McConnell might laugh at you and exploit you, but they don't despise you. By the nature of their jobs, they have to deal with the existence of the other party to some extent. Claims that Joe f'ing Biden is a communist or any other sort of totalitarian boggles the mind.

The Cathedral does not operate in that sense. They want you dead but will settle for your submission.
The fact that after election day Trump supporters pivoted their guns directly toward the corporate press instead of team Biden is a glorious thing.

It is also a historically unprecedented thing.
The Cathedral thought they'd be safe to lob their grenades while conservatives froth at the mouth at Joe Biden.
This is not at all what is happening, especially because "conservatives" are not driving much these days.

Cathedral operatives are rattled.
In many ways this is Hillary in 2008. She hadn't thought past New Hampshire, and when Obama proved his viability and won South Carolina not only did she not know what to do, she hadn't even laid out such a plan just in case.

It is my sincere belief that the Cathedral in 2020 is the Hillary 2008 campaign, and that there will be a reversion to greater strength at some point in the future. But that will be the last gasp.
We will never go back to only three networks for sitcoms, is the parallel.

To be the Cathedral it needs to maintain a near-monopoly. That's even just having Fox (!) was enough to cause years and years of meltdowns. Now the enemy class is wishing that Fox was the only place with anything close to an alternative POV is presented.

The Cathedral's win condition is hegemony
Our win condition is an alternative to the Cathedral as a driver of culture and politics
One of these seems easier to attain and maintain
There's a long road ahead
It's possible we will lose
It's impossible that we must lose