NOTE: While I did support certain candidates in the 2019–20 Democratic primaries because of their ideas (e.g. UBI, anti-war, broad tent approach), it doesn't mean I endorse their other positions.
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Today, I want to explore what Tulsi Gabbard said during her recent interview with Joe Rogan. Basically, when Rogan raised the long-standing conventional wisdom that candidates need to appeal to the base during the primaries and then go back to the center during the general election, Tulsi took the chance to highlight the fact that she won't be defined by ideological boxes and labels, and that she doesn't believe in the aforementioned so-called conventional wisdom. Instead, she would look at each issue fairly, consider the ideas on their own merits, and make what she would consider to be the best decision in each case. In other words, Tulsi is committed to making the best decision based on the available information every time, and she won't be guided or limited by ideological categories in the process.
I think this is what the silent majority actually want in our leaders. More listening with an open mind, and less ideology. More active thinking and less ideology. More practical solutions and less ideology. While the establishment media elite loves to play the ideology card, the real people out there want leaders who actually break down the ideological barriers and find solutions that actually work for all. The increasing support for Tulsi and similar candidates in the polls, despite the media blackout, shows that this is what the real people out there want.
Too much of mainstream politics nowadays is ideological, and when you're ideological, the problem is that you won't always get the best answers to the many complex problems we face nowadays. This is for several reasons: firstly, each ideology represents only one point of view, so if you're only willing to work within one ideological tradition, you're only taking one point of view into account, and your decisions won't serve many people well. Secondly, many so-called ideological groupings are actually coalitions based on mutually reinforcing special interests. Therefore, to work with one specific ideological group often means to prioritize the special interests of that group, and neglect the interests of the many other people in society. This leads to increasing divisiveness, and is clearly not compatible with good leadership. Finally, ideologies are often formed by historical circumstances. To be tied to ideology is, at least to some extent, to be tied down to historical circumstances that no longer exist, to be limited by historical horizons that we should actually transcend, and to make policy that is not the best for the needs of the current situation. All this is why we need to move away from ideological boxes, and start to consider each idea on its own merit, using our own critical thinking.
