Older generations in the US do not appreciate the fact that Gen X & younger Americans have never seen functional politics based on shared facts & compromise. To them it might as well be a fairy tale. They& #39;ve *only* see a conservative movement descending into reactionary madness.

I mean, I& #39;m pretty f& #39;ing old at this point, but even for me, when I think back to my very first consciousness of US politics, it was deranged Republicans accusing Bill Clinton of running drugs & having people killed. The Starr witch hunt. Dan Burton shooting a watermelon. Etc.

The actual conservative movement & the actual GOP abandoned moderation a long time ago. The only reason there& #39;s any notion of Republican moderation at all in US culture is that the *media carries the torch*. It& #39;s center-left pundits & VSPs who keep the idea alive.

Super excited to see a bunch of adult human beings strawmanning this to say "US politics used to be great & wonderful." What a productive way to engage this discussion!