This Is Different: Who Stands in the Way of Progress?

By Scott Anderson

Since the summer, I have been asked by progressive leaders to examine the moment we are in and the forces that act to undermine our ability to do big things.

I try my best to avoid historical comparisons because it takes away from the fact that this period in American history is like no other. The threats to our democracy have stretched our imaginations and challenged our resolve. Fundamentally, the issue is whether and to what extent human beings and governments resolve to act in our individual or collective interests.

I start from a place of urgency. Most scientists warn that we have eight to 10 years to take major steps toward addressing the effects of man-made climate change and, as of this moment, we are not positioned to solve that big problem collectively. For a year now, the U.S. government’s response to a pandemic has led to mass disruptions in society, to death and to deeper divisions. If our response to the COVID-19 pandemic disease was a stress test for how to deal with real crises, we have failed.

The first step in changing our collective resolve is to understand the forces that oppose collective action.

Over the last 20 years, many research projects, strategies and much media attention have been focused on the network of so-called “libertarian conservatives” commonly referenced as the Koch network. While much attention was paid to their long-term strategies that fundamentally changed our legislative, judicial and media landscape, little attention has been paid to other actors that now make up the more recent Trump coalition.

Several books written by various friends of mine, academics and journalists like Jane Mayer, Anne Nelson and Nancy MacLean have chronicled how a small group of conservative billionaires have changed the political landscape of America since the 1960s. What we have been slow to recognize is how this movement was changed dramatically with the 2016 nomination and election of Donald J. Trump as president.

What were once disparate efforts were quickly linked into a venn diagram of power that placed the Trump presidency at its center. This new coalition, unlike what we traditionally think of as “conservative,” does not represent the majority of Americans. What they have done is finance a successful narrative and advocacy coalition that rely on fear, resentment, and disinformation to keep America divided and thereby stymie progress. 

This coalition includes:

1. Profiteers who claim libertarian ideals (until their industries face financial accountability), corporations and free market zealots who believe that profits equal moral good and see collectivism as a threat to their profits. Their spiritual leaders can be found in Gordon Gecko, the fictional character in the 1980s movie, Wall Street, who expressed and personified the philosophy that “greed is good.” Wittingly or unwittingly, profiteers seek to create a kleptocracy. The extreme example of this can be found in the wealthy elite of the former soviet republics.
2. Apocalyptic religious sects that are incredibly well-financed and have been building massive education, communications and advocacy organizations for the last 40 years. These groups mix nationalism with their zealous belief in an apocalyptic end-times scenario and literal interpretation of their religious texts. Predominately Christian, they do include other apocalyptic religions including sects within Judaism. These groups intersect with many of the profiteers and use conservative theology to justify their wealth, their collaborations with non-religious actors, and believe that the “ends justify the means.”
3. Propogandists that see money to be made in all the destructive crises we face. While most focus has been on the influence of FOX News and the Media Corp International empire, local media is now dominated by Sinclair Broadcasting. New conservative “news” sites are outpacing traditional media, and social media sells targeted advertising in an extremely coordinated manner in order to continue to build a community of consumers. YouTube and the algorithms of other platforms  wallpaper consumers in a cocoon of narratives that build significant audiences and yield propagandists millions of dollars. Fear and resentments are tools for greater profits.
4. An international criminal network that is centered around the Russian Mob. As Sarah Kendzior wrote in Hiding in Plain Sight, the elite criminal network has been building for years without much daylight between Vladimir Putin and the oligarchs ruling Russia. Kendzior writes: “Many are criminals without borders who have moved from hijacking businesses to hijacking nations. Some call them fascists; I avoid this term because being a fascist requires an allegiance to the state. To these operatives, the state is just something to sell.”
5. Disillusioned authoritarian foot soldiers inflamed by a changing world. Thirty years ago, the dramatic events at Waco, Ruby Ridge and Oklahoma City were the actions of a new breed of domestic terrorist organizations. All occurred before social media platforms made it easier for these actors to find one another. Today, they are inflamed by racial diversity, changing demographics, acceptance of different lifestyles, and a reliance on a fictional version of our nation’s history and greatness.

Collectively, this diverse coalition has created a powerful, concerted and pervasive opposition to progressive collective policies. We fail to recognize these beneficiaries of autocracy, theocracy and kleptocracy and respond to their intentions at the peril of the greater benefit to all persons and the values of a democratic society.

— Scott Anderson is a nationally recognized political strategist and donor advisor.  During the Trump years, he has driven $380 million in investments to build progressive power and strengthen democracy through the Strategic Victory Fund.

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