The Glory of Damascus
Photo by Wilfredo Lee/AP/Shutterstock (10323334d)
The new American penchant for tribalism isn’t doing us any favors. That was on full display at the most recent Democrat presidential debates, where candidates pandered vigorously to their various tribes by promising virtually anything they could think of – from health care to college educations – for free. The idea that Bernie Sanders, who is still combing his hair with a balloon, and whose pandering is delivered in language taken directly from the All Soviet Congress of 1917, is even on the dais as a candidate should probably cause every thinking American to cringe.
But mostly we don’t. Many millions actually celebrate Sanders’ breathless promises to the groaning proletariat, despite the historical evidence which clearly predicts the result of his favorite policies: inveterate poverty for all but a very select few – an elite cadre of policy wonks whose work in government insulates them from the worst results of their own policies, while simultaneously enriching them.
Naturally, Sanders, who is a multi-millionaire, won’t apologize for his own considerable wealth, but vigorously insists that others should, and has a plan to both take their money and humiliate them for having it in the first place. This theme, and its many subtle variations, seems to dominate the policy thinking of the democrat candidates for president.
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