(August 25, 2024 at 4:03 am)Ivan Denisovich Wrote: I don't really believe in existence of non-ideological politicians (or humans for that matter). Sure ideology could take second place to lust for power but why wouldn't it be ideology that pushes them to said lust? Whether they're fascists, authoritarians, reactionaries, illiberals or nationalists (or whatever else) it is perfect reason for them to want to get power to remade US in their image.
In my view we all have our ideologies (perhaps incoherent or fragmented sometimes as befits XXI century, or staying in the background). It's just that not everyone broadcast them loudly.
I've found that the word "ideology" can be kind of a buzzword. People use it differently, and I've had some misunderstandings in the past.
I agree with you, that everybody has an ideology. Anyone who has even a vague sense of how the world ought to be can be said to have one. And I've found that people who claim NOT to have an ideology are generally people who haven't examined theirs very carefully. Sometimes the attitude seems like "Those other bad people have IDEOLOGIES but I just know how the world SHOULD BE."
Sadly, when we look at actions not words, the ideology of the powerful often comes down to "more for me and mine; less for all the rest."
