Cult of Fools Weekly (Nov 10, 2024) — “Why has it come to this?”

Fuck!

So yes, the polls were very very wrong. Right across the board there has been a huge shift to the right.

There is of course the obvious question — why?

Like many others, I also have a few thoughts.

• Social Media has both eroded democratic norms and also created a deep societal insecurity. This has resulted in a very deep polarisation where each side is sincerely terrified of the other, a fear that “they” are a threat. For some that threat is very very real and will now be realized as it unfolds. For others with no moral scruples, such as Trump, it has been a platform to leverage for personal gain by deploying lies and disinformation.
• What has happened has also now exposed the weakness of US democracy when faced with a tidal wave of disinformation. It has failed, and even SCOTUS is now a vector for anti-democratic ideals.
• Biden delivered an excellent prosperous economy. Millions more jobs, the lowest unemployment rate, yet none of it mattered because the right-wing ecosystem crafted a campaign of lies that stoked fear and discontent. They bypassed rationality and facts by tapping into deep emotional insecurities and convinced many that now is the worst of times.