Almost as if it’s important to get out and vote in every election.

Ronald Reagan sabotaged Jimmy Carter’s Iran policy and squeaked in with the help of spoiler John Anderson.

To which I pointed out how this was Great Man Theory by saying:

No, I fundamentally disagree with your entire view of historical development, ie the why behind everything.

History is a progression of material conditions, not people and ideas, not Great Individuals making Big Moves. Social Democracy came at a time when the Soviet Union was rising, and Capitalists within America feared similar uprisings in America, compounded by the Great Depression. Concessions were allowed in that context, temporarily.

Neoliberalism came later, after WWII, during the height of the Cold War. It was a way to further seek profits in the Global South.

Fascism is rising now because Capitalism is undoubtedly in decline, and is decaying further.

Material Conditions drive the ideas that drive the masses that drive what’s salient, not random Great People doing everything.

That’s it. The 90% tax rate wasn’t because of Eisenhower, but because of America emerging as the dominant superpower after WWII. What changes people can and do make depends on the context of their current conditions and what brought them there. Reagan wasn’t a random wreckingball, he personally pulled the trigger but he couldn’t have done so at any other point of time because Capitalism was doing much better under Eisenhower, and had naturally decayed.

There.