Dear Michael,
I finally had opportunity to read your article and thought it exceptionally well done.
https://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2019/12/michael-brown-historian-and-friend.html
The only shortcoming was that it ended too soon.
Although I mean this sentence as stated, it is also true that I felt your ending was somewhat rushed.
Perhaps you had a word limit.
In any event, I was hoping that an elaborate conclusion would follow on the heels of your well-drawn presentation.
A few particulars....
“When you referenced "radical unelected bureaucrats,” I immediately said to myself: "There is neither time nor energy to elect every government functionary - at least not in any meaningful way.
And so, since a "line has to be drawn somewhere," we (as a people) have, in my view, drawn that line quite reasonably.
At least until now...
Another point...
Every time I hear reference to "the people’s 'voice,'" I reflect that the 2016 election outcome was not an expression of "The People's Voice."
Hillary Clinton got 4.56% more popular votes than pussy grabber.
"The People's Voice" was nowhere to be heard.
The facts (if you'll pardon my use of an obsolete word) are even harder to contemplate in "light" of the following truth:
Giving credit where credit is due, Trump was right about "the laughing stock."
Donald Trump Once Called Electoral College "A Disaster"; Now Says It's "Actually Genius"
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-calls-electoral-college-a-disaster-during-2012-tweetstorm/
And finally...
"When reason and public responsibility define professionalism, these virtues implicitly distinguish professionals from others. That distinction is uncomfortable for democracy. It suggests that professionals are not just a group apart but also one above."
Although I acknowledge the truth of what you say, it is also true that in every other domain, Americans want - and typically crave - professionalism.
A "spot" shows up on Joe Blow's lung xray and he wants the best, most highly-trained team of caregivers.
It is almost uninversally acknowledged that any person or group wants the best and to get the best they turn to professionals who are, by definition, "distinguished from others."
For example...
If you can get stage-side tickets to see The Stones or The Beatles, there is not a single Trumpista who would forgo the opportunity to hear "the British invaders" rather than some podunk band playing at a local bar.
Indeed, if Trump himself told his cultists to go hear the local band, they wouldn't!
They would go and hear the "pros."
Here is a great line that cuts to the quick.
Then there's this timeless trilogy:
In dumbf*ck America - where yahoos have always abounded and now rule - there is this matrix of exceedingly inconvenient truths:
"You Have NO Choice," A New Frame For George Carlin's Classic Shtick "The American Dream"
George Carlin: "Before You Diagnose Yourself With Depression Or Low Self Esteem..."
George Carlin On The Ku Klux Klan.
Ouch!
Think About How Stupid The Average Person Is...
Best Political Campaign Ad - Ever!!!
By way of closing, I strongly encourage you to take a look at the next two posts about self-educated, San Francisco longshoreman Eric Hoffer who was introduced to me by my first mentor, an expat Brit named Phil Sturman, a Xerox executive who opened his company's Latin American division.
Eric Hoffer: "The Only Index By Which To Judge A Government Or A Way Of Life..."
Eric Hoffer: Weakling Resentment Springs From Their Sense Of Inadequacy/Impotence
It is impossible to predict interpersonal chemistries.
However, my bones tell me that if you read Chapter 13 of Hoffer's short book, "The Ordeal of Change" -- a chapter titled "Scribe, Writer and Rebel" -- you will find striking, and potentially fruitful dovetails with your core work on elites.
Please give Esther my warmest regards.
I hope the Christas spirit visits you early and often.
Love
Alan
PS I just sent friend Mary Wilbur in California the following Christmas recommendation.
If you have not seen Disney's "A Christmas Carol" (2009), I think it is the best of all available versions of Dickens' splendid tale and I feel certain it will expand your Christmas joy.
You can access my review of Disney's "A Christmas Carol" inside the following post:
Charles Dickens: Where To Begin The Feast?
And you might enjoy my recording of "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas." https://soundcloud.com/alan-archibald/how-the-grinch-stole-christmas
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