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Joe Biden Wears a ‘Kick Me’ Sign

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Critics like AOC and Sanders believe there is no price to be paid, and benefits to be gained, by publicly pressuring the new administration.
President-elect Joe Biden went on a rampage early this morning, lashing out at critics within his own party who say his appointments so far lack ideological and demographic diversity and hinting that lawmakers who cross him can expect retribution once he moves into the White House on Jan.20. Biden, an obsessive Twitter presence under normal times, went beyond his own flamboyant standards with a series of tweets that began shortly after midnight and then picked up again at 5:30 a.m. in what was apparently an effort to drive early coverage on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” With his trademark alliteration, he lambasted “loony left losers” for their second-guessing of his transition moves and called his fellow Democrats “pathetic” and “SAD!” “He’s out of his mind with rage,” said one close adviser, who was granted anonymity because the person is not authorized to speak about the president-elect’s psychological state. The aide said the fury is complicating the selection of an attorney general nominee, because Biden is eager to name a choice who will use the Department of Justice’s prosecutorial powers to intimidate critics such as Sen. Bernie Sanders or Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Seems implausible, doesn’t it? But it’s worth pondering why. For President Donald Trump, acting crazy had a rational purpose. His supporters loved it and would-be rebels in his own party were beaten into submission so thoroughly that they cheered him as lustily as supporters. Trump’s skill in enforcing obsequiousness was an important political asset. Why can’t Joe Biden create a cult of personality, too? Two ingredients are missing. One is an outsize leadership personality of the sort that the genial Biden doesn’t possess. The second, more important, is an instinct for cultlike compliance that isn’t part of the Democratic Party character or tradition. This highlights an important psychological difference between the parties. The conservative mind typically has a natural deference to authority, making Republicans more likely to respond positively to the notion of a president laying down the law and punishing dissenters. The liberal mind typically has a natural skepticism toward authority, and a natural sympathy to the grievances and demands of its own special-interest constituencies, especially when these are groups that historically have faced prejudice.

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