Hmmmm….Interesting putting these two stories together. Sounds like the folks holding the levers of power at the DNC ought to retire and spend more time with their families.
"But no matter what happens, the chain reaction that leads to revolt has begun. Most people realize that our expectations for a better future have been obliterated, not only those for ourselves but also for our children. This realization has lit the fuse. There is a widespread loss of faith in established systems of power. The will to rule is weakening among the elites, who are entranced by hedonism and decadence. Internal corruption is rampant and transparent. Government is despised."
Oh, how I wish I had the power to make the rich panic!
A good read, Cat; thanks for the link. I think the argument weakens when the essayist brings out a laundry list of issues of the day as non-negotiable demands, but when he sticks to generalities (and who can foresee how this will all work out?) he is on firmer ground. The following line(s) are among those that particularly caught my attention:
“Once the foot soldiers of the elite… no longer have the will to defend the regime, the regime is finished… And when dying regimes collapse, they do so with dizzying speed.”
There are some very decent quotations from Michel de Montaigne and Lenin also.
The fuse does indeed seem to have been lit, but Heaven only knows how long it is.
Let us hope that past is prologue, puddle. If so, populism and progressivism come next.
From The Devil's Dictionary:
POPULIST, n. A fossil patriot of the early agricultural period, found in the old red soapstone underlying Kansas; characterized by an uncommon spread of ear, which some naturalists contend gave him the power of flight, though Professors Morse and Whitney, pursuing independent lines of thought, have ingeniously pointed out that had he possessed it he would have gone elsewhere. In the picturesque speech of his period, some fragments of which have come down to us, he was known as "The Matter with Kansas."
Yes, the way they've been gobbling up the money makes me think there will be a Second Great Depression. Which makes me very glad I spent so much of my life poor because the poor know better how to make do or do without.
"“He’s not strong and self-controlled, not cool and tough, not low-key and determined; he’s whiny, weepy and self-pitying. He throws himself, sobbing, on the body politic. He’s a drama queen"
The WSJ has been rather odd since the Internet took away its reason for existence and Rupert Murdoch bought it up. Rupert must figure bashing Trump will make money for him. Tabloid stuff, isn't it? Well, I could use a bit of entertainment--will toodle over and look at it now. (I wonder who or what nct.news is...
That column was back on July 27th, and is mostly behind the WSJ paywall. But there are bits and pieces of it scattered around the web. But I think she has him pegged.
Hmmmm….Interesting putting these two stories together. Sounds like the folks holding the levers of power at the DNC ought to retire and spend more time with their families.
ReplyDeleteHouse GOP Fears Wave as Money Woes Grow[Click] Democratic candidates doing well.
DNC Struggling to Raise Money[Click] DNC not doing well.
—Alan
This is a two-year old article, but still thought provoking:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.truthdig.com/articles/make-the-rich-panic/
"But no matter what happens, the chain reaction that leads to revolt has begun. Most people realize that our expectations for a better future have been obliterated, not only those for ourselves but also for our children. This realization has lit the fuse. There is a widespread loss of faith in established systems of power. The will to rule is weakening among the elites, who are entranced by hedonism and decadence. Internal corruption is rampant and transparent. Government is despised."
Oh, how I wish I had the power to make the rich panic!
A good read, Cat; thanks for the link. I think the argument weakens when the essayist brings out a laundry list of issues of the day as non-negotiable demands, but when he sticks to generalities (and who can foresee how this will all work out?) he is on firmer ground. The following line(s) are among those that particularly caught my attention:
Delete“Once the foot soldiers of the elite… no longer have the will to defend the regime, the regime is finished… And when dying regimes collapse, they do so with dizzying speed.”
There are some very decent quotations from Michel de Montaigne and Lenin also.
The fuse does indeed seem to have been lit, but Heaven only knows how long it is.
—Alan
I've felt for a long time now that we're reliving the Gilded Age. . . . Same actors, same levers, same story arc.
ReplyDeleteLet us hope that past is prologue, puddle. If so, populism and progressivism come next.
DeleteFrom The Devil's Dictionary:
POPULIST, n.
A fossil patriot of the early agricultural period, found in the old red soapstone underlying Kansas; characterized by an uncommon spread of ear, which some naturalists contend gave him the power of flight, though Professors Morse and Whitney, pursuing independent lines of thought, have ingeniously pointed out that had he possessed it he would have gone elsewhere. In the picturesque speech of his period, some fragments of which have come down to us, he was known as "The Matter with Kansas."
--Alan
Yes, the way they've been gobbling up the money makes me think there will be a Second Great Depression. Which makes me very glad I spent so much of my life poor because the poor know better how to make do or do without.
DeleteMay be that there's a greed gene, because it keeps popping up, no matter how hard we work at killing it.
ReplyDeleteI miss Tanya's blog, but I guess with Typhoon Lan hitting Japan it just may not be possible. I hope she's okay.
ReplyDeleteThink the same. And hoping the same.
Deletehttp://info.nct.news/2017/10/22/wall-street-journal-just-went-off-on-trump-so-bad-that-even-republicans-are-jumping-ship/
ReplyDelete"“He’s not strong and self-controlled, not cool and tough, not low-key and determined; he’s whiny, weepy and self-pitying. He throws himself, sobbing, on the body politic. He’s a drama queen"
The WSJ has been rather odd since the Internet took away its reason for existence and Rupert Murdoch bought it up. Rupert must figure bashing Trump will make money for him. Tabloid stuff, isn't it? Well, I could use a bit of entertainment--will toodle over and look at it now. (I wonder who or what nct.news is...
DeleteAlan
That column was back on July 27th, and is mostly behind the WSJ paywall. But there are bits and pieces of it scattered around the web. But I think she has him pegged.
DeleteAlan
Anybody care for a cookie?
ReplyDeleteWhat’s Apple Up To?[Click] Good for us? Good for Apple? Bad for Google? Or what?
—Alan