The Founders show us a way to manage conflicts between the establishment and the people.
In 2016, Trump was able to defeat Hillary Clinton by using what she touted as her experience against her: She looked like a disconnected governing elitist, and Trump appeared to many to be the in-touch, regular guy.
What is someone who agrees with the Founders on natural aristocracy supposed to do when faced with such a choice? Clinton had gone through the cursus honorum, but was an ardent leftist; Trump had many conservative positions but was a horrifying vulgarian.
Many people decided to vote for Trump despite his flaws because he was vastly more likely to advance the conservative cause, which his tenure has thus far borne out.
The goals that must be balanced are, on the one hand, ensuring that the most talented, most virtuous, most able people can rise to the top, and, on the other, ensuring that society maintain cultural continuity from one generation to the next.
Elites such as Hillary Clinton's elite is unrestrained by fidelity to past generations and have little concern for cultivating a tradition for future generations.
Most people agree that we should strive to elect the most virtuous and capable politicians we can find, but many people have forgotten that the virtuous and capable politician should be not merely a tool for fixing today's problems but a custodian of a political tradition.
https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/06/elites-politicians-should-encourage-cultural-continuity/
In 2016, Trump was able to defeat Hillary Clinton by using what she touted as her experience against her: She looked like a disconnected governing elitist, and Trump appeared to many to be the in-touch, regular guy.
What is someone who agrees with the Founders on natural aristocracy supposed to do when faced with such a choice? Clinton had gone through the cursus honorum, but was an ardent leftist; Trump had many conservative positions but was a horrifying vulgarian.
Many people decided to vote for Trump despite his flaws because he was vastly more likely to advance the conservative cause, which his tenure has thus far borne out.
The goals that must be balanced are, on the one hand, ensuring that the most talented, most virtuous, most able people can rise to the top, and, on the other, ensuring that society maintain cultural continuity from one generation to the next.
Elites such as Hillary Clinton's elite is unrestrained by fidelity to past generations and have little concern for cultivating a tradition for future generations.
Most people agree that we should strive to elect the most virtuous and capable politicians we can find, but many people have forgotten that the virtuous and capable politician should be not merely a tool for fixing today's problems but a custodian of a political tradition.
https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/06/elites-politicians-should-encourage-cultural-continuity/
No comments:
Post a Comment