The Leftist Oligarchs

Some of the critics who read these pages – conservatives, Republicans and libertarians – seem obsessed with what they see as the threat of authoritarianism emerging on the Left side of politics. They complain about their usual punching bags, the media, the universities and other “elites,” whom they contend control everything from pop culture to science to political thought, an assertion that frequently takes on a conspiratorial tone. In their view, the nation is going down the road to a virtual dictatorship by the political Left and its allies. Even corporations and big tech have too often bought into what is now known as “cancel culture.” Traditional values such as privacy, free trade, limited government and American individualism are in danger of extinction.

A cursory examination of American history and politics says otherwise. While the framers of the Constitution feared absolute democracy, they reigned it in with the electoral college and the supremacy of national law. Alexander Hamilton helped insure federal preeminence over the states and the national economy. The Civil War further centered power in Washington much to the dismay of the states and many people. During the Great Depression, FDR rejected strong arguments in favor of socialism and communism in order to save capitalism and democracy. This last point, of course, was rejected out of hand by conservatives who called FDR a socialist, a characterization that continues to this day. The point is, however, is that American leadership and the yeoman citizenry have historically opted for a hybrid model of governance that maintains a balance between federal and majoritarian rule. We call it Federalism.

What interests me is that these critics conveniently don’t offer analyses of the four years of the Trump presidency, its actions during the 2020 presidential election or Republican politics to date. The assault on the Capitol, the denial of election results and the present efforts to curtail voting in the states rarely brings reproach.

The former president demeaned political traditions, concentrated power in the White House, refused constitutional oversight, vehemently attacked the media, frequently belittled the courts, rejected the 2020 election results and now is working with allies to curtail voting rights across the country. All the while as posing as a populist reminiscent of a Latin American despot.

If authoritarianism comes to America, it will come from the Right not the Left.