Matt Yglesias, Vox:
Trump speaks of national greatness because it matters to most Americans that the country as a whole thrive. What he has offered as a path to greatness caters to the wishful thinking of a minority of Americans.
There are no political guarantees governing what will happen when his approach fails, but his approach certainly will fail, just as previous waves of reaction have likewise failed to deliver on their promises. What happens after that is anyone’s guess. But my best guess is that sooner rather than later someone else will come around capable of articulating the shared conviction of Obama — and of Lincoln, Douglass, Roosevelt, Johnson, and King — that only a bigger, broader conception of America will allow the country to rise to new heights of greatness.
A ten-minute essay written by keen observer of American politics and culture, Matt Yglesias. Its theme is that greatness comes from inclusiveness, that growth comes only by addition. Give it a read while you ignore today’s rainy, depression inducing inaugural of Donald Trump. It’ll give you something to feel good about.
I’m not alone in the observation that the long arc of western democracies is left-leaning. Liberalism, held from extremes by intelligent conservatism, has been the guiding light since, well, the Enlightenment. Today marks a dim day in the American version of liberal democracy. Fear not. The devil will be loosed upon us for a time, but given our cultural and political history I firmly believe the United States will yet prevail.
#Trump #GOP #fraud #mattyglesias #american #politics
A Random Stroll 