Plato, Trump, the Press, and the Essence of Democracy

It is exceedingly rare that any political commentary keeps me up thinking about it. However, Andrew Sullivan’s Democracies end – when they are too democratic. – And right now, America is a breeding ground for tyranny [author’s capitalization and punctuation not mine] has succeeded in doing that. He starts with Plato and ends with a comparison of modern times to Sinclair Lewis’ book, “It Can’t Happen Here.” In between he touches on:

• How democracy grows, stabilizes, and then become unstable;
• The impact of “media democracy” in the 21st century;
• The nature of mass movements; and
• The isolation and mobilization of a white middle class that feels increasingly under attack.

And, woven throughout, is the Trump phenomena and a frank discussion concerning his likelihood of winning the White House and an assessment of whether his excesses can be checked if he does.

Whether you agree with Sullivan or not, and there are plenty on the internet already stridently stating why he is wrong, this article is a must read. By investing the ten to fifteen minutes it will take for you to blaze through it you will encounter an argument coherently laid out and powerfully expressed. After I did so I found my mind frequently wandering back to the points Sullivan raised that undeniably need to be addressed in future years. For even if Trump does not win the White House, many of the fault lines Sullivan reveals are likely to haunt us for years to come.

America has problems in need of solutions. Reading Sullivan’s haunting piece is a necessary pre-requisite to understanding the present and fixing the future.

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