A couple of years ago I ran a post about Can It Happen Here?, my proposal (well, mine and Sinclair Lewis's) for a gamebook of the US election. In the end I decided it would be easier to just see what happens and then watch the news from the relative safety of the British Isles.
In any case, writing about US politics from the European side of the Atlantic is strangely like looking backwards to an earlier model of government. Must be the US's written constitution, which effectively took the concept of the monarch and made it an elected post, setting that in stone for the next 235 years, whereas in Britain (which does have a constitution, incidentally; it's just not in a single document) the monarch has been free to evolve into a useful figurehead with no direct power, government is carried out by a team of people who must debate and reach consensus, and sovereignty resides with Parliament. But perhaps I'm only saying all that because the (possibly) future Veep has been so snotty about the UK.
At the other extreme there's the alarming option of "unitary executive theory" (aka dictatorship) which is best avoided whichever candidate gets elected. Once you let go of democracy it's very hard to get it back.
"A dangerous ambition more often lurks behind the specious mask of zeal for the rights of the people than under the forbidden appearance of zeal for the firmness and efficiency of government. History will teach us that the former has been found a much more certain road to the introduction of despotism than the latter, and that of those men who have overturned the liberties of republics, the greatest number have begun their career by paying an obsequious court to the people; commencing demagogues, and ending tyrants."
- Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist Papers #1.
Anyway, America, good luck; the world holds its breath for your decision next week. If you need some inspirational reading here are five novels that are no doubt far better than anything I'd have written. And here's some equally disturbing fiction about another possible future.
(Image by Diliff under CC BY-SA 3.0 licence.)
For those of us who don't maintain our economist subscriptions, do you mind listing the 5 books in the first article?
ReplyDeleteI think you just need to register (not subscribe) to get 4 free articles a month, but in case that's no longer the case the novels they reviewed are: It Can't Happen Here (Lewis), The Plot Against America (Roth), If This Goes On... (Heinlein), The Man in the High Castle (Dick), and The Handmaid's Tale (Atwood).
DeleteHear, hear! (As they say in our parliament).
ReplyDeleteNicely written, Dave. In response, I offer Alexander's eloquent argument in hip-hoppy verse (because I can no longer read any Hamilton essay without feeling the cadences of his eponymous musical straining to be free...)
Dangerous ambition, lurks below a mask of zeal,
When despots 'for the rights of man' so loudly appeal,
History will teach us -
(Better than religion can preach us-)
Of those demagogues, who bow before the people,
But have fixed their gaze upon, the bloody tyrant's steeple!
Not having seen the musical, John, I'm finding it hard to hear the rhythm of the lines -- but maybe a trip to YouTube will fix that. In the meantime, here's a more traditional poetic version, created not by my own rhapsodical skills (which are largely non-existent) but by the far greater and more facile talent of generative AI asked to channel Hamilton by way of John Keats. The human race's work is done.
Delete"In zeal for people's rights does danger lie,
A mask conceals ambition's silent might,
Where brighter freedom’s banners seem to fly,
Yet shadows veil the true and hidden blight.
"Not in the hand of stern, firm governance
Do tyrants lay their groundwork for the throne;
But in the honeyed words of reverence
For every common voice, each need and moan.
"Oh, learn from history's deep, silent scroll—
The hollow vow, the ardent, fervent plea
Can hide the hungers of a darkened soul,
That first woos hearts, then chains them secretly.
"With soft disguise, demagogue to king—
They rise on cheers, but fall with iron's ring."
Yuck! Generative AI is the poet laureate that Trump & Elon Musk's America deserves...
ReplyDeleteI'm not casting the first stone, John. Not given my own wretchedly poor attempts at poetry!
DeleteI'm sorry, Dave, I can't agree with that;
DeleteTo AI verse I won't doff my hat,
Give to me real human rhyme
Every single precious time,
Good, bad or ugly I don't mind,
'Tis better than the soulless kind,
Or we'll end up beseeching HAL,
Open up the pod doors - pal?
I nearly commented "LOL" to that, John, until I remembered this will all be visible to our robot overlords in a few years' time. (Hmm, is that what they mean by Roko's basilisk?)
DeleteInteresting! I'd never heard of Roko's Basilisk, but I've just looked it up. Whatever the future holds, AI Overlords, Tyrant Trumps, or not, I will always cherish my time spent on your blog for its deep well of Real Intelligence.
DeleteThank you, John. In a world of diminishing decency and eager irrationality we'll try to keep this an oasis of civilized chat.
Delete