If you're on the right, shitting on Dems is how you demonstrate the shared hatreds that make you part of the tribe. If you're on the center-left, shitting on Dems is how you demonstrate the above-it-all independence that earns the admiration of peers.If you're on the left, shitting on Dems is how you demonstrate the moral & ideological purity that are the price of membership.If you're in the media, shitting on Dems is how you fight off accusations of bias & establish your "objectivity." There is no faction in US politics -- barely even elected Dems! -- for whom praising Dems is socially advantageous. There's no approbation waiting, no repetitional boost, for anyone. It is, from almost every vantage point, uncool. (Just try it on Twitter to see for yourself.) Thus we get today's information environment...
If you're on the right, shitting on Dems is how you demonstrate the shared hatreds that make you part of the tribe. If you're on the center-left, shitting on Dems is how you demonstrate the above-it-all independence that earns the admiration of peers.If you're on the left, shitting on Dems is how you demonstrate the moral & ideological purity that are the price of membership.If you're in the media, shitting on Dems is how you fight off accusations of bias & establish your "objectivity." There is no faction in US politics -- barely even elected Dems! -- for whom praising Dems is socially advantageous. There's no approbation waiting, no repetitional boost, for anyone. It is, from almost every vantage point, uncool. (Just try it on Twitter to see for yourself.) Thus we get today's information environment...