E.g. posts by our very own Santiago always justify power as an end in itself that justifies every means.

It's purely herd logic. There are alpha animals asserting dominance through violence, fear-of-the-other-herds, and simple lying for personal benefit. The rest of the herd is supposed to follow.

It's not purely a gender thing. That kind of 'logic' appeals strongly to older males who feel they lack power.

Old left logic was framed as a power struggle against the alphas. It was sticky and successful because it made sense in herd terms.

Modern progressive logic is about trying to understand cause and effect, and to engineer workable solutions to problems.  

Probably only about a quarter of the population can even begin to think like this, and only about 5% of the population is any good at it.

Politically, it's not a winner.