I think you are right that Progressives, like me, might be dangerous in power. I think farmland and housing should be more affordable to people who need it. If, by more affordable, that would destroy the equity that regular people have in their houses or land, and cause markets in both to stumble and collapse, then that would be a dangerous consequence.

I tried my best to faithfully represent the Republican and Centrist as protecting the status quo, each from their own position. Likewise, “what the actual f**k?” represents the outsider role of the progressives. I follow various progressive Facebook groups and they smugly think they know everything and can have simple fixes. Although I identify as progressive and agree with their general ideas, I could see that by the end of the fictional discussion, the progressive was the one that was most alienating.

Likewise, the tea party folks seem to thrive best when they are outside of power. They can easily say “no” and yell from the outside, but ask them to govern and we get all sorts of unintended consequences, like out of control deficits.

I wonder how Bernie might have governed. He is able to maintain a certain purity of intent when he doesn’t actually have presidential power. I like to think he would have kept that intent but then softened and compromised to get things done. But who knows.

When I say “what the actual f?” I don’t think I would really say those words in conversation except with people who share my exasperation with climate change inaction or the way both parties have shafted the working class. It might be what I’m thinking, but it isn’t a good way to find agreement.

The status quo is unjust and unsustainable, but immediately enacting the progressive agenda could make things worse in the short term, and is also likely to be blocked anyway. So I am left shaking my head in despair and swearing on medium essays.