Quote of the Day (Evan Thomas, Correctly Sensing a Dangerous Political Shift)

“[T]he old and weary (and increasingly cowed) mainstream media, of which I have been a charter member for more than 30 years, may not be as successful as it used to be at exposing the sort of distortions that can fuel mindless rage. Whether those distortions come from the far right or far left, the consequences could be disastrous: a protectionist who sets out to shield workers from foreign competition and wrecks the free-trade regimen that has made America prosper; a law-and-order vigilante who comes to office after a terrorist attack with a program to suspend cherished individual liberties to keep America ‘safe’; a soak-the-rich populist who kills economic growth in the name of helping the little guy.”—American journalist and biographer Evan Thomas, “Why It’s Time to Worry,” Newsweek, Dec. 13, 2010

Of the three alternative nightmare Presidential candidates described by Thomas, the one that has come closest to realization is the first: a protectionist.

However, the second candidate, seeking to “suspend cherished individual liberties to keep America ‘safe,’” has also come to pass—ironically, in the form of a President who once aired an ad, “Let our politicians give back our police department's power to keep us safe,” only to foment a coup d’etat on Jan. 6, 1921, in which police desperately tried to prevent the safety of members of Congress.

Finally, a “populist” has won twice, but not through a “soak the rich” program (he is, after all, a plutocrat!), but by appealing to the worst prejudices of voters.

Sadly, the "time to worry" has passed. The emergency is here; it's now time to ensure, against growing odds, the survival of the republic.

(The image accompanying this post, showing Evan Thomas reading at Annapolis Book Festival, was taken Apr. 28, 2018, by Slowking4.)