That certainly was a concern but not nearly as widespread. The issue this go-around, to repeat, was incumbency. How else would you explain the Tories getting fucking trounced by Labour? How else would you explain Iceland? How else would you explain Modi’s party underperforming against that big tent INDIA coalition? The New Popular Front in France? There are a lot of other examples of this, and while it certainly is not to suggest that it was uniformly to the left, it certainly suffices to reject any notions of uniformity in either direction. So yes, there have been rightward lurches…in some places. Others? Not so much. And that’s the point. The most common of threads this year was incumbency regardless of ideology.
well they resorted to the culture war crap when the Soviet Union was still alive, but they kinda had to in order to maintain their positions of power. Their economic policies do not enjoy a strong following, so they have to throw in that red meat to keep people voting against their interests. And that’s why neither party really talks about that because there’s no way to sell it. It’s funny that we’re talking about this on a Bill Maher thread because he of all people once explained the difference in domestic/economic policies between the two parties in this way:
Republicans: “we’re pissing on you.”
Democrats: “the Republicans are gonna piss on you, here’s an umbrella.”