Comments on: “we don’t appeal to young people, we don’t appeal to millennials, we don’t appeal to young women, we don’t appeal to minorities. We appeal to only cranky old white guys like me.” https://habitablezone.com/2016/01/25/we-dont-appeal-to-young-people-we-dont-appeal-to-millennials-we-dont-appeal-to-young-women-we-dont-appeal-to-minorities-we-appeal-to-only-cranky-old-white-guys-like-me/ Sat, 25 Apr 2026 16:17:27 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2016/01/25/we-dont-appeal-to-young-people-we-dont-appeal-to-millennials-we-dont-appeal-to-young-women-we-dont-appeal-to-minorities-we-appeal-to-only-cranky-old-white-guys-like-me/#comment-35407 ER Mon, 25 Jan 2016 23:42:31 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=55304#comment-35407 What I think happened is that the serious, sober members of the GOP (what we now loosely call the "Establishment"; the country-club Republicans and the pundits, theorists and intellectuals) thought they could put together a winning coalition of the populist, lower-middle class element in the GOP, that they could harness that rage and that desperation felt by the members of their own base that felt betrayed and lied to. It was starting to become obvious to everyone that the decline of the economy, the loss of US influence overseas, and the unraveling of the American Dream were structural and could no longer simply be blamed on Liberal treachery. They looked the other way and let talk-radio, demagogues and FOX mobilize the masses...and it got out of control. There's a lot of fear and loathing (a respectful nod to Hunter Thompson) on the Right, but its not all being directed towards the Left. Its starting to rebound right back at them. Personally, I find these exciting times, I feel like I'm in St Petersburg in 1917, or Berlin in 1930, or even Paris in 1789. A time of changes is coming, and even though they may not be very pleasant, and possibly even quite dangerous, they will be fascinating to watch unfold. The worst that can happen to me is that I'll die. But I'm old anyway. At least I won't be bored to death. What I think happened is that the serious, sober members of the GOP (what we now loosely call the “Establishment”; the country-club Republicans and the pundits, theorists and intellectuals) thought they could put together a winning coalition of the populist, lower-middle class element in the GOP, that they could harness that rage and that desperation felt by the members of their own base that felt betrayed and lied to. It was starting to become obvious to everyone that the decline of the economy, the loss of US influence overseas, and the unraveling of the American Dream were structural and could no longer simply be blamed on Liberal treachery. They looked the other way and let talk-radio, demagogues and FOX mobilize the masses…and it got out of control.

There’s a lot of fear and loathing (a respectful nod to Hunter Thompson) on the Right, but its not all being directed towards the Left. Its starting to rebound right back at them. Personally, I find these exciting times, I feel like I’m in St Petersburg in 1917, or Berlin in 1930, or even Paris in 1789. A time of changes is coming, and even though they may not be very pleasant, and possibly even quite dangerous, they will be fascinating to watch unfold.

The worst that can happen to me is that I’ll die. But I’m old anyway. At least I won’t be bored to death.

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