Perhaps these particular leftists want what they say they want, rather than what you've been led to believe they want.
Which is what? Pretty much all leftist state models require strong state, which leaves very little space to privacy. Somebody who holds both leftist or collectivist political beliefs and hopes for privacy is contradicting oneself. If they were anarchists or libertarians, that'd be a different business, but it's surprising to find libertarians in The Nation.
I believe that's the core obviously wrong idea we're not going to agree about.
We don't know what the world would look like if the US hadn't destroyed communism, and hadn't actively supported tyrannical leaders.
But in an ironic twist, the US will now be destroyed by the same dark forces they created.
That all socialist projects that were successful for some time were authoritarian is, well, those were the ones who could survive in that world (in this current world). I think there’s a word for that. :)
[1] Capitalist nations violently interfering in other nations is not called authoritarian.