Summary: Let’s take a cool hard look at Campaign 2020. It reveals much about us, as our elites manufacture the candidates we dream about.
One of the fascinating dynamics showing the decay of the Republic’s political system is how we select candidates. In 2010, after we had elected Obama as President, I said that a new era had begun. Obama’s only relevant experience was 8 years as an Illinois State Senator and 4 years as a US Senator (much of that time was spent campaigning). He was elected as a symbol, a political icon manufactured by influential groups outside those that had governed Washington for a century. The Tea Party and Occupy movements were further evidence that American politics had become a street party in which people acted for symbolic reasons – to display their identities.
I said that a period of political instability would be the certain result. There were clear precedents. Such as Sarah Palin, the GOP VP candidate in 2008. Then came Trump, the clearest possible demonstration that our politics are broken. Temperamentally unsuited for high office, personally corrupt (a long history of failure to pay vendors, also see Trump University), ignorant of public policy basics, and totally lacking in relevant experience. People rejoiced that the political system was now open so that unqualified clownish outsiders could win!
“Although Nero’s death had at first been welcomed with outbursts of joy, it roused varying emotions, not only in the city among the senators and people and the city soldiery, but also among all the legions and generals; for the secret of empire was now revealed, that an emperor could be made elsewhere than at Rome.”
— From The Histories
by Cornelius Tacitus (56 – 117 A.D.).
The Democratic Party has many elected officials well-qualified to become president. But none of those satisfy Democrat’s desire for a vivid symbol, someone on whom Democrats can project their dreams. Our elites heard their wishes, learned the lessons from 2016, and manufactured a crop of candidates from whom to choose. Like the rows of soup on the supermarket’s shelves, there is a flavor for everyone. In the political free market, we choose among the brands offered.
Most of these would not survive five minutes if we choose presidents with the care that we choose a plumber, or a corporation chooses a CEO. But we are not citizens choosing someone to run the nation, but children electing a class president. This is why our elites despise us and believe that they are better suited to rule.
We have a 45-year-old businessman with no political experience: Andrew Yang. A 37-year-old mayor of a small city: Peter Buttigieg. A rich guy with no political experience: Tom Steyer. Two very old guys with strong experience – Joe Biden (77) and Bernie Sanders (78) – and an old rich guy who was mayor of NYC: Michael Bloomberg (77). What they, and the other candidates, have in common is that none can act as president in any meaningful fashion.
All will pick advisors who will run the nation. Yang and Buttigieg lack the experience to even pick advisors to run the nation. All are “The Price is Right” candidates in the sense that we will not know what is behind the door until the winner moves into the White House.
But this is a win-win for Americans! Supporters of the winning candidate will feel a surge of satisfaction that their brand won. When the result does not match their dreams, they can whine that the system is unfair. We just can’t win, no matter which button we push on the television voting machine.
The exception
There is one real candidate running for the Democratic nomination: Elizabeth Warren (age 70). Twelve years in Washington, including 7 as a senator. She is a true revolutionary. She has the radical lawyer’s delusional confidence in her ability to drastically rearrange complex social, economic, and political systems (none of which she understands) – and the radical’s contempt for the proles’ ability to run their lives. She is a law professor who has re-invented her past with a shyster’s (and salesperson’s) disregard for objective fact.
Continuing my series of radical wild predictions (parts one and two), I predict that an old white guy will become the candidate. He will nominate Warren as VP. This will gain the support of the Left (who would otherwise despise him). If elected, early in his term of office he will turn the reins over to her. Perhaps informally (as Edith Wilson was our first woman president). Or formally through resignation, death, or the 25th Amendment. This will put an unelectable Leftist radical in the White House.
Historians will consider this a political masterstroke. Given the precarious state of the Republic, this might irrevocably change America in ways we cannot even imagine.
Conclusions
Campaign 2020 will teach other peoples (perhaps successors to America) the consequences of believing that voting is citizenship – and the necessity of deeper political involvement. If we will not make the effort to run America, then others will do so – and (naturally) to benefit themselves. That is the Great Circle of Life in action. We must change, or accept the consequences. If we choose the latter, let’s not whine about them.
For More Information
Ideas! For some shopping ideas see my recommended books and films at Amazon. Also, see a story about our future: Ultra Violence: Tales from Venus.
If you liked this post, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. See all posts about ways to reform America, and especially these…
- Important: A 4th of July reminder that America is ours to keep – or to lose!
- Remember the last liberal. We still have people like him.
- Visions of America if the Left wins.
- The Left can win in 2020 and dominate US politics.
- The middle in American politics has died. Now extremists rule.
- Election 2020 will be about open borders & America’s future – Fascinating quotes from the first debate.
- Campaign 2020 shows who will mold America’s future.
- Two levers to bring the Democrats victory in 2020.
- The Left becomes revolutionary. Few realize it yet.
Useful books explaining what happened to American politics
I have not found a good book explaining what happened to the Left, causing its hatred of America. These are the best I have found, looking at our politics.
Listen, Liberal: Or, What Ever Happened to the Party of the People?
The Party Is Over: How Republicans Went Crazy, Democrats Became Useless, and the Middle Class Got Shafted
