Is today’s politics tragic or comic?
Take the current Democratic Party obsession with socialism. There is nothing more tragic than full-blown socialism: mind-control and the snitch society; purges and mass starvation, with millions upon millions dead. But give them credit: the trendy new Democrats say they’re only for the Nordic Model of … well, the European term for it is social democracy.*
But they sure seem to push for evermore government.
Worse yet, they too often defend actual Communist countries — as Bernie Sanders (BS) has done.
This suggests an unfunny ending to their mad rush to power.
So the proud proclamations of the s‑label from BS and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) should concern us, as should the eagerness with which the majority of Democratic presidential candidates have signed onto AOC’s over-the-top proposed takeover of the economy in her “Green New Deal.”
And yet … these politicians are absurd, on the face of it as well as when we drill down.
It’s hard not to regard absurdity as comic.
The b.s. doesn’t end with BS.
Sure, our current president is a comic figure, too. And the pathetic nature of most GOP movers and shakers on Capitol Hill make them worthy of satire.
But it is also the case that Trump is funny in a way no one else is: he is playing a role and making many chortle. On purpose.
Too bad we couldn’t move him from the Presidency to a new Constitutional role, like Troll-in-Chief. There he could ensure, through mockery alone, what he promised in his State of the Union Address: America will never become a socialist country.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
* Denmark, Sweden, etc., support extensive markets and a surprisingly hands-off approach to business — comparable to that of the U.S., and in some ways more lax — combined with extremely high taxes and vast transfers of wealth. You could call this “democratic socialism,” but … why?
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6 replies on “The Hilarity of a Serious Threat”
It’s hard not to regard absurdity as comic.
There’s nothing comic or tragic about it.
In today’s political environment, with young voters and even many of our ruling class totally ignorant of American and world history, there is only one word to describe this ‘absurdity’: dangerous.
I suspect that there is some tragedy involved, if for no other reason than the fact that the taxpayers money is paying for all of this celebration of absurdity…
Socialism, no matter what terminology you create to you dress it up, kills. It kills people, economies, and nations. It always has, it always will.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have 10 trillion dollars? That is the amount wasted on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Capitalism that wasted 10 trillion dollars isn’t that attractive.
“* Denmark, Sweden, etc., support extensive markets and a surprisingly hands-off approach to business — comparable to that of the U.S., and in some ways more lax — combined with extremely high taxes and vast transfers of wealth. You could call this “democratic socialism,” but … why? ”
Or one might just as well refer to it as “crony capitalism”, since those in charge pick the recipients of their largess. In one case, those who contribute to their campaign/retirement funds, in the other, those who provide the votes to ensure their continuation in power.
Paul, I don’t think of Trump as a comic figure, at all. I think he’s deadly serious about accomplishing the things he promised he would do for the American people who voted for him. That he can face off his greatest enemies, the RINO Republicans and Never-Trumpers in his own party with some humor and equanimity appears to be one of his greatest strengths.