Jonathan Rauch

Jonathan Rauch has just written an absurd article for The Atlantic magazine. It isn’t often that I say such things – well except every time I talk about rational expectations, but that’s just me – but his entire thesis reeks of defeatist nonsense, is anti-democratic, and antediluvian to boot.

What’s worse, his argument builds from a complete misunderstanding of our populist moment.

Let’s start at the end, his essay concludes with this comment:

“Our most pressing political problem today is that the country abandoned the establishment, not the other way around.”

No. No. And No.

Rauch spends most of his time telling us in great detail about the various efforts to make the American political system more democratic. That is to say more accountable to the people. He rues the end of smoke filled rooms, derides that idea that transparency is a net benefit, decries the decline of the old political parties, advocates a return to pork barrel politics, and wants to see the flow of money directly into politics re-instated to its former glory.

Why this wretch inducing return to the old days?

Because all those things combined to act as an intermediary between the chaos of the electorate and the chaos of our politicians. The former now, apparently have too much say, and the latter need to re-learn loyalty to their elders and betters. Rauch is convinced that the steady abandonment of the good old days is a failed idealistic vanity we can ill afford. More to the point he tries to convince us that the madness of this year’s election is a direct result of this pro-democratic effort.

Rubbish.

Rauch, like many amongst our elite leaders, misreads the problem.

Our establishment did indeed abandon the people. It slid, over a few decades, into a somnolent and mono thematic veil behind which the wealthy and large corporations took control and ran the country on their own behalf.

Having political parties competing for a chance to govern is a healthy aspect of democracy. It gives us all a choice. But that choice is an illusion if both parties agree on central issues. The lack of choice then becomes a frustration and veritable disincentive for those who were previously prone to active participation. Those who are left involved inevitably represent the fringes: the middle is spoken for by the oligarchs.

After decades of steady reliance on the incompetence of modern economic and business management theories our economy has been managed into a querulous quivering mess that benefits only its few one-percent masters. People don’t matter. The center in politics is firmly interested only in itself. Then, as manifested in Rauch’s anti-popular emotion, it throws a hissy fit when the people dare question its authority, motives, or competence.

Sorry. The concept of managing a country from the center is both sensible and appealing. It makes all those nice attributes the centrists so admire – especially compromise – so utterly pragmatic and effective. But when the center is the cause of our problems what other method do we have for correction than attacking from the flanks?

This next era in our politics is all about that attack from the flanks. Hopefully from both flanks. Both our old major parties need to get back to understanding the people. They need to relearn empathy with regular folks and not just the elitists they mingle with.

For instance is change is endemic and fast paced the center needs to provide help and encouragement to those who feel abandoned or made obsolete. It ought not indulge in pompous lectures about self-education. If globalization is inevitable – is it? – then the center needs to mitigate its impact not criticize its victims for being obstructive. If robots are going to render workers redundant then the center ought reach out to strengthen the safety net not applaud the rise of zero-hours contracts as representing an innovative approach to a flexible workplace.

I could go on.

It wouldn’t matter.

The problem today is not the people. It is the establishment. And we the people have realized that.

Rauch’s clever inversion is neither clever nor accurate. It is a perversion. It misrepresents our ills. No wonder our elite is having a hard time coming up with policy solutions: it doesn’t even realize its culpability.

Until that culpability is realized and properly corrected for I expect ever more radical populist efforts aimed at getting the center re-set somewhere that puts people in the policy calculus once more.

If you think 2016 is crazy wait until 2020. This is just the beginning.