[mindslight]

Because they're not conservative. They are radical reactionaries, to use the word that Moldbug himself coined. Essentially Republicans got tired of things changing despite their conservatism, got angry, and now it's not enough to slow change - they want to rewind us to the values of the 1980's or even the 1950's. This perspective is why they refer to any post-y2k mainstream social values as "activism".

The Democrats have now become the conservative party. Both in the abstract of wanting slow cautious change, and in the concrete principles that have long been held as conservativism - belief in American institutions, strong foreign policy to spread those institutions, the rule of law, and now even fiscal responsibility with having led the pull up from ZIRP!

[spencerflem]

This was downvoted at the time of this comment. Shame on the Republicans in this thread that I have my fellow programmers to blame for the fall of american democracy

[mindslight]

It's like nobody can take criticism these days, probably because they're overwhelmed by the amount they see.

I went back and forth whether to include a paragraph about how this swapping also explains the dynamics around things like DEI training, but decided against it so I wouldn't be getting it from both sides. Things were more pleasant when most people got this energy out watching football.

[bigstrat2003]

As it should be. If someone is going to make a broad claim about an entire political party - be that Republicans or Democrats - they need to show the evidence. You don't get to make sweeping negative statements about large chunks of the country without backing it up.

[mindslight]

I don't know what kind of evidence you're thinking. My argument is based on the straightforward policy positions of the parties, and especially how the times have changed yet many positions have not, with some policies even changing in the opposite direction of social changes. Other core policies have been outright rebuked - can you imagine Reagan appeasing Russia by shunning countries desperately wanting to be our allies?!?

If you want to point me at other conservative principles I skipped over but seem overridingly relevant to you, please do. But even for the social issue of religion, which seems to be the defining aspect for many people, the figureheads are churchgoing Biden versus philandering Trump.