Posted on 01/08/2013 11:05:50 AM PST by bestintxas
‘Limousine liberal” is an old American term used against those who inherited lots of money and then became “traitors to their class” by embracing populist politics.
The Roosevelts and Kennedys enjoyed the high life quite apart from the multitude that they championed. And they were exempt, by virtue of their inherited riches and armies of accountants and attorneys, from the higher taxes they advocated for others. Few worried about how their original fortunes were made long ago, or that as lifelong government officials they had their needs met by the state. Most were relieved instead that as very rich people they wanted less rich people to pay their fair share to help the poor.
But the new liberal aristocracy is far less discreet than the old. Most are self-made multimillionaires who acquired their money through government service, finance, law, investment, or marriage. If the old-money liberals lived it up tastefully within their walled family compounds, the new liberal aristocrats are unashamed about living openly in a manner quite at odds with their professed populist ideology.
Take former vice president Al Gore. He has made a fortune of nearly a billion dollars warning against global warming — supposedly shrinking glaciers, declining polar-bear populations, and the like — while simultaneously offering timely remedies from his own green corporations, all reminiscent of the methodology of Roman millionaire Marcus Licinius Crassus, who profited from fires and putting them out. Now Nobel laureate Gore has sold his interest in a failing cable-television station for about $100 million — and to the anti-American Al-Jazeera, which is owned by the fossil-fuel-rich royal family of Qatar. Gore rushed to close the
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...
It takes hard work and sacrifice to avoid the pitfalls of history. We’re so screwed.
Byline is “v hansen”
Actual author is “Victor Davis Hanson”
Can you fix?
VDH nails it!!
Let’s not kid ourselves. There is also a republican aristocracy. We are only allowed to vote for who they choose for us. All others will be marginalized or destroyed. Hence, Dole, Bush, McCain, Romney and nominees yet to come.
The aristocracy has been somewhat thwarted on the state level with the victories of DeMint, Cruz, Rubio, Paul, Lee, Fischer. But some some who have gotten through their gauntlet have been stopped: O’Donnell, Buck, Miller, Akin, Mourdock, Angle.
The battle between the aristocracy and the democracy goes on.
Edited for accuracy
King George was a globalist, too.
By democracy, I was not referring to the government of the United States, or to government at all. I was referring to the people, traditionally called the democracy, as opposed to the nobility (aristocracy) or a king (monarchy).
I’m writing a book on republican government based on the writings of John Adams so the ancient phrases are in my head.
New one to me. I thought we were "the people".
We are the people, the demos, in Greek. The word democracy comes from demos, people and kratia, rule.
If you read the writings of the founders, or the those who came before like Hume or Montesquie, they refer to the natural divisions in society, the one, the few, and the many, or the monarchy, the aristocracy and the democracy. The king, the nobility and the people.
Monarchy, aristocracy and democracy are also forms of government, along with a republic.
When I said the battle between the aristocracy and the democracy, I essentially meant the people vs. the elites.
It is that, see tagline. FReeper ovrtaxt said that in a post six or so years ago. Don't know what became of ovrtaxt.
“By democracy, I was not referring to the government of the United States, or to government at all. I was referring to the people, traditionally called the democracy, as opposed to the nobility (aristocracy) or a king (monarchy).
I’m writing a book on republican government based on the writings of John Adams so the ancient phrases are in my head.”
Sincerely, that is the most interesting post I have seen on FR for a while please let me know when your book is available.
“Sincerely, that is the most interesting post I have seen on FR for a while please let me know when your book is available.”
Thanks. I will. It’s a fascinating subject. It’s taken a long time but I hope to have it in print by the end of this year.
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