One of the reasons I’ve written so much about the complete reversal of progressives on these issues (from pretending to be horrified by them when done under Bush to tolerating them or even supporting them when done by Obama) is precisely because it’s so remarkable to see these authoritarian follower traits manifest so vibrantly in the very same political movement — sophisticated, independent-minded, reality-based progressives — that believes it is above that, and that only primitive conservatives are plagued by such follower-mindlessness.
I noticed the same thing on a lot of the political blogs I used to read, until I finally had trouble seeing anything there but the same tribal signifiers, the same echo-chamber shorthand, the same lazy groupthink. Eventually I took the advice I had once exasperatedly offered my brother during one of his interminable rants and decided to spend my time paying attention to things I actually enjoy. Politics just too easily brings out the worst in people, and life’s too short as it is.