the author of this essay explores the main items that the left has done a one eighty on in recent years. i'm amazed at some of these transformations as perhaps you are as well;

The political left that I came to know in college — that one that rallied around free speech, reason over faith, fairness to all and peace — seems to have evaporated completely.

I barely recognized what’s replaced it. Truth is, I cannot make heads or tails out of any of it. It seems like this chaotic assembly of seemingly random biases, all shoved together in a package like a grab bag of the bizarre and dangerous.

Here are five of the oddest doctrines you find on the left that make zero sense to me.

Russia. Coming of age during the Cold War meant that college was filled with debates about the character of what was called the Soviet Union, meaning Russia and many neighboring states.

The conservative right saw the Soviets as imperialistic communists hellbent on global domination through industrial supremacy and arms exports. It was the core of the revolutionary conspiracy that threatened to overthrow tradition and freedom, and that’s why it must be resisted and rolled back.

The left in those days had a different view, and it always intrigued me. They said Russia was a normal country with normal problems and issues. The United States and Russia were strong allies in the Second World War and the country made great sacrifices to defeat Nazism.

Since then, it’s not really been imperialistic so much as nationalistic, defending its economic and political interests. Moreover, they would say, communism in Russia is no longer a prevailing practice but more of a slogan.

They’ve reformed substantially and want to reform more, so it is time to make peace, which the nation desperately desires.

The main message of the left was, for many decades, stop demonizing this country and its foreign policy ambitions, and treat the Russians as just another country with its own distinct problems and issues.

That whole paradigm is now ancient history. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, U.S. conservatives generally adopted a new attitude much more in keeping with what the left once believed about the country..........more.........