Thread by @docMJP

Thread.

In any human community, when modes of communication change and ideological orders disintegrate, rare opportunities arise to establish new habits of thinking and communicating about politics and policy.

This is where America finds itself today.

The American Right now has an unprecedented opportunity to reground discourse & Republican party upon principles of justice & common good. It’s uncertain—perhaps even doubtful—that the Right’ll rise to meet the challenge, but the potential is real, and will not last indefinitely.

Regardless of the extent to which one thinks we live “After the Republic,” many observers outside of Claremont Institute circles now acknowledge that we live in a time of “Cold Civil War” revolving around a dispute over “two constitutions”—two mutually exclusive visions—

of what America is & ought to be. While it may not be clear to what extent the insurgency leans “Right”, or what the meaning of “Right”/“Left” are now, a kind of revolution is taking place against the American liberal political-cultural regime that evolved over the last century.

The rhetoric of revolutions involve three aspects worth exploring if we hope to understand the divisive confusion of the American mind today.

First, as such conflict escalates, people increasingly seek to argue by any means necessary, grasping whatever rhetorical weapon seems nearest their grasp. Pundits daily decry escalating vitriol and blunt rhetorical tactics. But it’s all delegitimization over “argument” now.

This escalation, however, is a mere after effect of the deeper “Logic of Revolution” (read Codevilla’s essay by that name). One side breaks a norm, tempting the other to do the same; the other side responds by going even further, and revolution spirals.

Second, to the extent a revolution involves rejection of previously accepted ideologies and political structures, the rhetoric of revolution appeals to fundamental claims about justice and the common good in a more pronounced and frequent manner than in normal political conflict.

That is, beneath the increasing din as conflict heightens, various sides are pushed to ground their rhetoric on the most fundamental human principles and overarching human purposes. And explain how other side *violates* them. Can’t rely on tropes of normal political time.

Third, revolutions often occur alongside new tech: particularly comm technologies & the corresponding disruptive change in previous rhetorical forms/psych approach to comms. Gap btwn old & new allows for questioning previously held assumptions re principles/purpose of politics...

This third point is maybe the most important point, contrary to what righties usually think about it. Clock is ticking.