Since the concept of the “red pill” got going, there has been a debate about the progression one takes in the awakening. Logically, this implies that there is a final boss on this journey, some belief one must drop in order to finally become fully aware of what is happening behind the façade of life. Once you defeat that final boss, you see things as they are, not as they are presented. Of course, the nature of this final boss almost always reflects personal bias.
Strangely, the real final boss in this process may be the crux of the whole normie belief structure that gets ridiculed by dissidents. That last belief may simply be that the political class cares about public opinion. Even the most cynical among us still thinks that the people in charge worry about public opinion. They may have ways to fortify democracy against the voters, but they still worry about the voters. After all, no democracy can be completely fortified.
The reality is, they probably do not care at all. The people controlling the politicians certainly do not care. The unanimity of opinion among this group is why the two parties are barely distinguishable from one another. What is the main different between Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer? The people who animate the politicians have their aqendas and they do not care about public opinion. Most people get that, but they still think the pols care and they need to care.
The trouble is, there is no evidence of this. For example, it was rather obvious that the Republican Party threw the 2018 midterm to spite Trump and his voters. They could do this knowing that they would not suffer in any meaningful way. Sure, some back benchers in the party would have to transition into lobbying jobs or (gasp!) the dreaded private sector, but 90% of the caucus would do just fine. In fact, the bosses could expect to be rewarded for throwing the fight.
The last midterm was a similar display of indifference. If the parties really cared about the result, they would have pulled out all the stops. On the Democrat side, it was a chance to prove those election deniers were wrong. Joe Biden really was the most popular man in history. On the other side, the Republicans could have got their red wave of rebuke. Instead, both sides worked to make sure none of the populists got the support they needed to beat a system candidate.
The indifference of the political class is most obvious with what is going on in the town of East Palestine Ohio. There was a time not so long ago when the place would have been crawling with Democratic politicians, including the President. They would bring the media to show how much they care about the people. Instead, Pete Buttigieg is antiquing in Vermont and Biden is in Poland promising the people of Ukraine that he will take care of them forever.
Of course, the media could cover it on their own. It is the ideal story, ripped right from one of many movies over the years. We have a small town being victimized by a mean and indifferent corporation. It is as if someone decided to make a real life version of the movie Erin Brockovich. Instead, the media cannot be bothered and the reason is the political class does not care about it. More important, they do not care that the people might think they do not care.
The fact is, the political system in America reached a point where elections make no difference to the system. Over 95% of incumbents win reelection and those who lose land in cushy jobs. John Boehner now makes seven figures selling weed, after a disastrous run as Speaker. Paul Ryan makes seven figures sitting around one of the banks, making calls to Washington on behalf of the bankers. When the losers get rich the winners do not fear losing.
In the bigger picture, even a wave election does little to change the makeup of the political parties in Washington. If forty House seats change hands in a wave election, it means close to 400 remain safe. Look at the last twenty years and you see that maybe 60 Congressional districts can be competitive. Most years only about twenty seats are genuinely up for grabs. American Congressional elections are ceremonial. It is a big expensive show that means nothing.
What appears to have happened over the last thirty years is the political class has internalized this reality and they no longer care about elections. The contempt we see is not so much about public opinion, but about the lingering need to keep up appearances with regards to elections and public opinion. The leaders of both parties are increasingly irritated that they have to pretend to care about your opinion. They have better things to do than take questions from the slobs.
This reality is hard for Americans to accept. Central to the American identity is the invincibility of the marketplace. The “go woke, go broke” business reflects the enduring belief that public opinion matters. The fact that none of the woke are going broke does nothing to alter this belief. Something similar is in play with elections. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, people still cling to the idea that public opinion not only matters, but it matters to the politicians.
Even people on this side of the divide cling to this belief. The concept of the psy-op rests on the idea that the people in charge care about public opinion. In reality, the secret police just like their work. The same can be said for the busy bodies that police the internet for bad think. They are not shaping public opinion. They simply enjoy playing hall monitor. Contempt for the public and public opinion is now the coin of the realm in the ruling class.
That is the final boss. You can be red pilled about race, ethnicity, history or conservatism, but still believe public opinion matters. You only become fully aware when you defeat that final boss and realize that the people in charge are indifferent to public opinion and often contemptuous of it. The reason elections change nothing is the entirety of the political class is in agreement on most everything. Mainly, they agree that they are in charge and your opinion does not matter.
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