Rachel Maddow examines Curtis Yarvin, one of JD Vance's influences

I suggested a future topic in Kosta, Colbert, and Hayes react to the VP Debate.

I think I should start paying attention to Peter Thiel and Curtis "Mencius Moldbug" Yarvin, both of whom have cyberpunk villain ideas straight out of Snow Crash that are influencing Vance. They would be right on target for this blog.

I repeated part of this in CityNerd examines Agenda 47 and cities in 'And You Thought Project 2025 Was Bad', then wrote "expect me to blog about them." On that note, Watch: Rachel Maddow lays out why you should care about JD Vance's real agenda in which both Yarvin and Thiel figure heavily.

Rachel Maddow shows JD Vance explaining his lack of faith that democracy can deliver on his conservative ideals, and shows the influences behind Vance's preference that the United States government be gutted and instead run by a dictator.

Listening to Yarvin and Vance talk about replacing American institutions, including democratic governance, reminds me of David Frum's warning that I quoted in 'The Daily Show,' Vox, and CBS News explain QAnon, silly to serious examinations of a conspiracy theory: "If conservatives become convinced that they can not win democratically, they will not abandon conservatism. They will reject democracy." Yarvin, Thiel, and Vance are proving Frum right.

The above was part 2. Here's part 1, Maddow: JD Vance wants to destroy anything conservatives can't control, which sets up part 2, but gets a bit too long to get to the point I want to make.

Rachel Maddow looks at the conservative history of attacking universities for exposing students to ideas that conservatives don't like, and highlights JD Vance in his own words discussing ideas for punishing universities and well as businesses that he sees as being on the wrong side of the culture war he is waging. This is part one of two clips cut from the Monday, September 30, 2024 Rachel Maddow Show. Find part two and other Maddow clips on YouTube at MSNBC.com/Rachel.

As Maddow points out, Vance is continuing a cause championed by cranky people pursuing a sometimes explicitly fascist agenda. I call that being on the wrong side of history. May Vance and Yarvin also be on the wrong side of the future.