May 02, 2017
Source: Bigstock
In a March column, she trashed the Republican Party for holding tight to its Cold War-era ideology. While noting that Trump’s base is far more populist than the average Republican, she was rebuked by GOP officials on Capitol Hill and told that Trump was merely “road-testing ideas” during the campaign to see how the crowd reacted.
“I thought: I”m sure you saw what you saw, but what you are noting is Mr. Trump’s cynicism when what matters is what the crowds agreed with”what they applauded,” Noonan wrote. And what did they applaud? They sang the praises of a successful man who promised a return to prosperity, all while being lambasted and snubbed by the very people who superciliously deride the rest of the country as invertebrate suckers hooked on a huckster.
More than anything, Trump exposed the system for what it truly is: designed and operated to benefit those closest to the nexus of power. With the rise of what James Burnham called the “managerial class,” the elites have further distanced themselves from those they purport to govern. Noonan highlighted two important commentary pieces””Our Miserable 21st Century“ by political economist Nicholas Eberstadt and “American Carnage“ by journalist Christopher Caldwell”to illustrate the dire straits of America’s middle class. Not only has the average American not seen a discernible pay boost in almost two decades, there’s a good chance that he or she or someone they know is fighting a painful drug addition. Much of Middle America is in the throes of an opioid epidemic that is causing increased mortality rates among working-class whites.
The media doesn”t deign to cover these bourgeois travails, opting instead to focus on transgendered celebrities and glorified minstrel shows.
Trump, among all the candidates, addressed these concerns. He was willing to speak to not just material concerns, but the rootlessness widespread in American life. For this, he was ravaged by elites like David Remnick. And for this, he was rewarded with the awesome power of the presidency by those most negatively impacted by the system cooked up by the same elites.
On cultural criticism, T.S. Eliot wrote that specialists don”t necessarily have “more culture than the lower” but rather possess a “more conscious culture and a greater specialization of culture.” So it is with politics. Leaders have a responsibility to represent the society they serve. Our current leadership class has gotten too big for their britches, and think themselves better than the plain understanding of the citizenry.
When a democratic country works, its political representatives still identity and embody the will and purpose of the people. America has lost that. We have four years to see if President Trump can pull the elites back down to their proper place: ahead of the masses, but not totally removed.
