Why do Far Leftist activists all too often have meltdowns when they can't win debates?

 (My answer in Quora)

Far Left ideologies are usually rooted in the anti-Enlightenment Romantic movement that has its origin in the writings of Rousseau. It appeals to emotion and the will of the people and is centered on the ‘ought’ as opposed to the ‘is’.

At its core these ideologies (whether Marxist or neo-Marxist) are utopic and see the ‘other’ as reactionary stumbling blocks in a Manichean world of good versus evil.

A defeat in the context of a rational debate taps into a visceral response. Meltdowns are all too often a consequence.

Do you think Putin's chilling warning to Russian 'traitors' and 'scum' is a sign things aren't going to plan?

(My answer in Quora)

It is certainly something out of the Communist Party playbook .

In 1937 (during the Stalinist Purges) a letter was sent by General George Yakir to the Soviet leadership begging for the safety of his family. Yakir was awaiting execution on trumped up charges.

The letter was published by the Soviet Government in 1961. Four comments were written on it. Look at the similarity of the language to Putin’s recent statements. The dehumanization is obvious.

Stalin: ‘Yakir, trash and traitor.’

Voroshilov: ‘ An exact description’

Molotov: ‘Entire agreement with Stalin.’

Kaganovich: ‘A traitor, a pig.’

Yes. I think it is fair to say that the situation is not going to plan (although it does not mean that the Russians are necessarily losing). The same lines of paranoia that impacted Stalin have come home to roost again. What is even more ominous is that life will look to rapidly deteriorate not just for the Ukrainians but for the Russians as well.

In Putin’s worldview you are either with him or against him. Very little room for a middle ground.

Is the current Liverpool side stronger than the 2019/2020 vintage that won the League?

 As a Liverpool fan I think that it is. Here is my rationale.

In defense Liverpool have replaced the inconsistent Dejan Lovren with Ibrahima Konaté who looks to be a world class defender in the making. There is also dedicated coverage for Andy Robertson in the form of the ever reliable Kostas Tsimikas.

Adam Lallana has left to go to Brighton and in his place the Reds have the brilliant Thiago Alcântara. However the biggest plus has been the way the offense has been greatly strengthened by the acquisition of the exciting duo of Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz. In addition Curtis Jones, Takumi Minamino and Harvey Elliott are better players than they were two years ago.

In what ways do American governmental agencies violate the Constitution?

(My Answer in Quora)

There are a number of ways that they do this. The most obvious one is the mass surveillance program that the NSA has undertaken that has morphed into a violation of individual rights to privacy.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-nsa-spying-idUSKBN25T3CK

Another example is the way the FBI (most notably under James Comey) acted to undermine the Trump campaign.

You may have seen him on a prayer candle, but James Comey is no saint

New revelations have made clear the conclusion many of us had already come to: James Comey was a reckless and untrustworthy FBI director.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/08/30/james-comey-fbi-memo-leaks-trump-inspector-general-report-column/2157705001/

Fortunately it backfired.

Trump Is Winning His War on the FBI

Within the Bureau, there’s an asymmetry that even those who seek to play by the rules cannot ignore.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/09/fbi-trump-comey/597523/

Then there was this attack on an innocent civilian (Carter Page). The entire case was built on a stack of lies.

Trump-Russia Steele dossier analyst charged with lying to FBI

Igor Danchenko, who worked on a largely unsubstantiated 2016 dossier on Donald Trump, is arrested.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59168626