James Strock is a writer, political analyst, and what I would call a “thought leader.” His Substack is rich with brilliant essays on our past, present, and future. I was thrilled when he asked me to be a guest on his podcast. I’ve been listening to his interviews for quite a while so it was, again, exciting to be on it.
There are so many people (including me) who are in your position. I left the left once I realized they had become radicalized zombies devoid of empathy who would destroy Western Civilization if given their way. The few years since my departure have only intensified and verified that belief. I did not think Trump was the ideal President but he was the only politician who railed against the totalitarian madness, racism and sexism that engulfed the Democrats. I am baffled by people who could support a Democrat party that hates white people, denies the reality of biological sex, warmongers, and mandates injection of toxic drugs into unwilling people. I am outraged by the Biden voters who sacked and burned once beautiful cities and left its streets littered with homeless people dying on the sidewalk with needles in their arms. I was forced to flee a city I loved that had become overrun by criminals put there by the Democrats. It is difficult not to be angry at the people who have ruined so many things that we and generations of our ancestors fought to build. Neutrality in the face of such evil constitutes complicity in the crimes, but demonizing those who share our disaffection does not help. The question is how to reach the persuadable middle without first shocking them out of their complacency.
This is a great explanation. I'm a right- and libertarian-leaning person but from what I can tell, we are not really "right" and "left" anymore, at least not how we used to understand it. No one is allowed to live and let live. We have to accept AND CELEBRATE anything and everything that comes down the pike or else we are nazis. Doesn't matter your previous affiliation or leaning.
I can't and won't accept that. And I can't and won't accept what those people, whatever we call them, want to do and are willing to do to kids in pursuit of whatever utopia they are pursuing.
I love your writing and don't care that I don't agree with you 100%. I don't agree with a single person in my beloved immediate family 100% - why would I need that from anyone else?!
Like most young people (I’m now in my 50’s), I was approached in college to sign up to vote and vote Democratic. It’s also when I got my first credit card, Oy! I thought Democrat meant liberty and freedom and puppies and kittens etc. I was not involved or cared about politics for many years. Probably didn’t even vote until CLinton era. I could’ve been considered liberal then not sure as I was for PETA and Humane Society, very sensitive, emotional like you, and stopped eating meat 10 years ago. It wasn’t until OBama came on the scene and I started doing a deep dive that my eyes opened wide to the horror of big guberment and the lies, lies, lieS yeah. I did not vote for OBama and sorry I voted for the other guys but it was voting for the lesser of two evils IMO. I voted for DJT twice and after the crazyness of the Kavanaugh hearings I changed my voting status to Independent. As I’ve aged I’ve definitely become more conservative. I want to be left alone, live in peace, no wars, not taxed to death and the ability to work hard and make enough to take care of my family. My parents, both rendered handicapped from horrific car accidents, never took a dime from the guberment and worked until their guberment employers made it too difficult for them to continue. They, my parents, are my heroes. They went through shit, stayed married til the end (both deceased now 🥲) and have always encouraged me to push through as tomorrow will be a better day….
I’m still a tree hugger, animal lover who now eats fish and chicken, picks up litter, has a pick up truck and trailer, loves Florida, hates drugs, tattoos and “medical mandates” and this administration! I guess you can say I’m little bit from Column A and little bit from Column B but still ME.💕
I read your stuff and sometimes wish I could re-post it on facebook. I have friends who are conservative and others who are liberal. For the most part we reflect fly-over America. We are more concerned with family and friends (all friends) than we are in disagreeing. There is way too much stuff to agree on just in family and friends (oh, and I don't live in fly over America. I'm about 4 miles from the ocean in northern O.C.). I'm going to subscribe to your pay stuff, not so much because I would use it but because this is how you make a living and I don't want to be a freeloader........ Paul Moody
I have lived in a blue bubble my entire life and, for the most part, adhered to the required doctrine. Politically, things started slowly changing for me 35 years ago with the birth of my daughter. You mention hating those the Left requires you to hate. And they do - if you don't hate Trump and all that is associated with the Right with the fury of a thousand suns then you are one of "Them." To maintain a semi-civil relationship with those I must (family, old friends, and co-workers) I have bullshitted them into thinking I'm apolitical. I'm not. Maybe I'm cowardly but I feel like I'm dealing with certified Pod People. There must be a way to break the spell but I'm not seeing it.
It's nice to get out of the groupthink haze, and smell the roses, hear the birds chirp while appreciating a bit of sunshine. Your substack is refreshing. Thank you.
Nicely written. It expresses what I have been experiencing for 50 years. There is no political home for me, except maybe libertarianism (properly understood, and not the two dimensional strawman version the haters on the right and left love to bash). I actually don't like labels much...they get in the way of thinking clearly.
Good luck with your continued journey. I'm 65 and I feel like everyday I'm learning and growing philosophically, morally, and politically. To stop growing intellectually is to die, or be as good as dead.
I left the RINOs and Democrats when I began to learn from Ron and Rand Paul that they were a Uniparty for endless war and enslavement of the people by maximizing their dependence on government welfare in one form or another.
Sasha thanks! Your writing always resonates, and very often reflects the many loose threads that swirl around in my brain (often giving me heart burn). I’ve walked away from (and they’ve walked away from me) so many friendships, the city I called home for 30 years, and I’m still processing all of that. Your substack is kind of a solace tbh
I have always caucused with republicans because, as a Reagan democrat, I have nothing in common with the democrat party anymore. The republicans, now, use power to acquire globalist money. Both have sheperded the erosion of America.
I am therefore now a Civic Nationalist! Lol... I don't care about the narratives both parties have planted against Trump, he has proven(underlined) that he will lose money and his freedom to help make life better for all Americans which is why Molly Ball at Time described how 'the Cabal' got rid of him.
I voted for Obama twice & left the Dem party in 2015 to vote for Trump. I became a Trump supporter in 2015 with the start of the primaries. I appreciate most of the policies & laws he put in place & what he did. I did find his personality exhausting & the things he said bothersome.
I sincerely hope we have another GOP candidate in 2024 who is not Trump. Someone who is more civilized, doesn't put his foot in his mouth constantly & get trapped up in insult wars/useless narcissistic battles that distract and get in the way of getting things done. Not to mention, Trump is unfortunately overly prone to flattery from enemies (like Kim Jong Il, Xi Jinping, Putin, all the staff members who screwed him over & backstabbed him), which always ends up hurting him. I like DeSantis a Lot.
Ever since the 2016 election something seemed off to me about the whole situation. The debates became more about personal jabs than policy. It was like a theater show. Maybe I was just getting a bit older or wiser, and noticing the absurdity. I considered myself a progressive at that point and was a Bernie fan living in Vermont at the time.
After the Covid era and all this madness going on right now in the world, the cult-like fervor for or against Trump is strange. In all this madness I find myself truly alligned with free thinkers who are not being swept up in the narrative of either party. Even if we disagree on some things.
As a former democrat, I really like your perspective, we don’t always agree totally but I respect your position. Thank you, your substack is one I look forward to seeing.
Welcome to the Dark side. You are now what's called a libertarian. It can be lonely here, but you don't have to be a patsy for either side. They will just hammer you for not being dogmatic and in lock step with partisan politics. We need smart ones like you. Again Welcome
There are so many people (including me) who are in your position. I left the left once I realized they had become radicalized zombies devoid of empathy who would destroy Western Civilization if given their way. The few years since my departure have only intensified and verified that belief. I did not think Trump was the ideal President but he was the only politician who railed against the totalitarian madness, racism and sexism that engulfed the Democrats. I am baffled by people who could support a Democrat party that hates white people, denies the reality of biological sex, warmongers, and mandates injection of toxic drugs into unwilling people. I am outraged by the Biden voters who sacked and burned once beautiful cities and left its streets littered with homeless people dying on the sidewalk with needles in their arms. I was forced to flee a city I loved that had become overrun by criminals put there by the Democrats. It is difficult not to be angry at the people who have ruined so many things that we and generations of our ancestors fought to build. Neutrality in the face of such evil constitutes complicity in the crimes, but demonizing those who share our disaffection does not help. The question is how to reach the persuadable middle without first shocking them out of their complacency.
This is a great explanation. I'm a right- and libertarian-leaning person but from what I can tell, we are not really "right" and "left" anymore, at least not how we used to understand it. No one is allowed to live and let live. We have to accept AND CELEBRATE anything and everything that comes down the pike or else we are nazis. Doesn't matter your previous affiliation or leaning.
I can't and won't accept that. And I can't and won't accept what those people, whatever we call them, want to do and are willing to do to kids in pursuit of whatever utopia they are pursuing.
I love your writing and don't care that I don't agree with you 100%. I don't agree with a single person in my beloved immediate family 100% - why would I need that from anyone else?!
Like most young people (I’m now in my 50’s), I was approached in college to sign up to vote and vote Democratic. It’s also when I got my first credit card, Oy! I thought Democrat meant liberty and freedom and puppies and kittens etc. I was not involved or cared about politics for many years. Probably didn’t even vote until CLinton era. I could’ve been considered liberal then not sure as I was for PETA and Humane Society, very sensitive, emotional like you, and stopped eating meat 10 years ago. It wasn’t until OBama came on the scene and I started doing a deep dive that my eyes opened wide to the horror of big guberment and the lies, lies, lieS yeah. I did not vote for OBama and sorry I voted for the other guys but it was voting for the lesser of two evils IMO. I voted for DJT twice and after the crazyness of the Kavanaugh hearings I changed my voting status to Independent. As I’ve aged I’ve definitely become more conservative. I want to be left alone, live in peace, no wars, not taxed to death and the ability to work hard and make enough to take care of my family. My parents, both rendered handicapped from horrific car accidents, never took a dime from the guberment and worked until their guberment employers made it too difficult for them to continue. They, my parents, are my heroes. They went through shit, stayed married til the end (both deceased now 🥲) and have always encouraged me to push through as tomorrow will be a better day….
I’m still a tree hugger, animal lover who now eats fish and chicken, picks up litter, has a pick up truck and trailer, loves Florida, hates drugs, tattoos and “medical mandates” and this administration! I guess you can say I’m little bit from Column A and little bit from Column B but still ME.💕
Love your writing!
I read your stuff and sometimes wish I could re-post it on facebook. I have friends who are conservative and others who are liberal. For the most part we reflect fly-over America. We are more concerned with family and friends (all friends) than we are in disagreeing. There is way too much stuff to agree on just in family and friends (oh, and I don't live in fly over America. I'm about 4 miles from the ocean in northern O.C.). I'm going to subscribe to your pay stuff, not so much because I would use it but because this is how you make a living and I don't want to be a freeloader........ Paul Moody
Sasha -
Love this. Love your perspective. Many of us are here for your honest thought and the compelling way you articulate your views. Thank you!
I have lived in a blue bubble my entire life and, for the most part, adhered to the required doctrine. Politically, things started slowly changing for me 35 years ago with the birth of my daughter. You mention hating those the Left requires you to hate. And they do - if you don't hate Trump and all that is associated with the Right with the fury of a thousand suns then you are one of "Them." To maintain a semi-civil relationship with those I must (family, old friends, and co-workers) I have bullshitted them into thinking I'm apolitical. I'm not. Maybe I'm cowardly but I feel like I'm dealing with certified Pod People. There must be a way to break the spell but I'm not seeing it.
It's nice to get out of the groupthink haze, and smell the roses, hear the birds chirp while appreciating a bit of sunshine. Your substack is refreshing. Thank you.
Nicely written. It expresses what I have been experiencing for 50 years. There is no political home for me, except maybe libertarianism (properly understood, and not the two dimensional strawman version the haters on the right and left love to bash). I actually don't like labels much...they get in the way of thinking clearly.
Good luck with your continued journey. I'm 65 and I feel like everyday I'm learning and growing philosophically, morally, and politically. To stop growing intellectually is to die, or be as good as dead.
I left the RINOs and Democrats when I began to learn from Ron and Rand Paul that they were a Uniparty for endless war and enslavement of the people by maximizing their dependence on government welfare in one form or another.
Sasha thanks! Your writing always resonates, and very often reflects the many loose threads that swirl around in my brain (often giving me heart burn). I’ve walked away from (and they’ve walked away from me) so many friendships, the city I called home for 30 years, and I’m still processing all of that. Your substack is kind of a solace tbh
Sasha, you are really just a normal person, but with the ability to say that the emperor has no clothes .
I have always caucused with republicans because, as a Reagan democrat, I have nothing in common with the democrat party anymore. The republicans, now, use power to acquire globalist money. Both have sheperded the erosion of America.
I am therefore now a Civic Nationalist! Lol... I don't care about the narratives both parties have planted against Trump, he has proven(underlined) that he will lose money and his freedom to help make life better for all Americans which is why Molly Ball at Time described how 'the Cabal' got rid of him.
This is the true Donald:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2016/08/19/the-day-i-went-head-to-head-with-donald-trump/?sh=72eb8cae58be
I voted for Obama twice & left the Dem party in 2015 to vote for Trump. I became a Trump supporter in 2015 with the start of the primaries. I appreciate most of the policies & laws he put in place & what he did. I did find his personality exhausting & the things he said bothersome.
I sincerely hope we have another GOP candidate in 2024 who is not Trump. Someone who is more civilized, doesn't put his foot in his mouth constantly & get trapped up in insult wars/useless narcissistic battles that distract and get in the way of getting things done. Not to mention, Trump is unfortunately overly prone to flattery from enemies (like Kim Jong Il, Xi Jinping, Putin, all the staff members who screwed him over & backstabbed him), which always ends up hurting him. I like DeSantis a Lot.
Ever since the 2016 election something seemed off to me about the whole situation. The debates became more about personal jabs than policy. It was like a theater show. Maybe I was just getting a bit older or wiser, and noticing the absurdity. I considered myself a progressive at that point and was a Bernie fan living in Vermont at the time.
After the Covid era and all this madness going on right now in the world, the cult-like fervor for or against Trump is strange. In all this madness I find myself truly alligned with free thinkers who are not being swept up in the narrative of either party. Even if we disagree on some things.
As a former democrat, I really like your perspective, we don’t always agree totally but I respect your position. Thank you, your substack is one I look forward to seeing.
Welcome to the Dark side. You are now what's called a libertarian. It can be lonely here, but you don't have to be a patsy for either side. They will just hammer you for not being dogmatic and in lock step with partisan politics. We need smart ones like you. Again Welcome