I'll never forget that in my twenties I came to the realization that I would support an authoritarian regime that ran everything exactly the way I wished things were. It was startling and sobering.
I no longer think that way, thankfully. But there are millions of not-so-thoughtful people who do.
I think this is exactly the issue, and it is not actually a partisan issue. I feel that urge, too -- how bad would it be, really, if I got what I wanted and people who thought like me did too? How much do I really care about the fates of folks whose morals and goals are so disparate from mine?
But it's no way to live and we're seeing the consequences of it now.
Couldn’t be me: “ran everything exactly the way I wished things were” is mutually exclusive with “authoritarian regime” from first principles, like how decisions are made and how accountability and liability are structured.
I no longer think that way, thankfully. But there are millions of not-so-thoughtful people who do.