I think we are seeing in Democrats currently, the addition of a third point, to what were two common but destructive political inclinations that the two parties share.
- I call this first one the Manichaean mindset. Manichaeans were an ancient Middle-Eastern religious sect that believed life was part of an eternal conflict between light and darkness. This is the we-are-good-so-they-must-be-evil aspect of contemporary American politics. Both parties suffer from it.
- The second is the eschatological obsession. Eschatology is the study of end of days, and in Christian practice, Armageddon. This is the idea that it's us and our party, or the end of America or whatever. Both parties suffer from this; Republicans tend to worry about this more from the cultural perspective, while Democrats worry about the economics.
A lot of what is popularly called partisanship comes from these two features. But I think Democrats have now added a third one.
Hippocrates is regarded as one of the first thinkers in medicine. He established a principle that is still part of the eponymous oath that doctors swear: first, do no harm.
In more contemporary, and non-medical areas, this is now referred to as the precautionary principle.
What I see in many contemporary Democrats, particularly progressives, is an implied view that the precautionary principle is incorrect, inappropriate, stupid, pointless, or wrong.
This is new. I call it the aprecautionary principle. I see it in the approach to Larry Summers and others that used to be leading economists among Democrats: current Democrats view older ones as the enemy, and the precautionary principle as potentially holding them back from moving in a new direction.
Included in this is a general disregard for the macroeconomics of macroeconomists.
Buckle up.
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