07/10/2024
There are forces entrenched within the fabric of American life that have brought us to this moment in history:
1. Opposition to Classical Liberalism, and
2. Opposition to government in general.
These forces have shaped the character of America since the days of the Revolution.
The ideals of Classical Liberalism gave America its “Declaration of Independence.”
“All men are created equal” sounds good—especially to the ears of a liberal thinker—but the principle makes excruciatingly difficult policy.
The ideal works well when the protagonist is the oppressed (the colonists v. the tyrant King George II). However, that same ideal poses an existential threat to a white male who makes his living by legally owning black slaves.
Thus, the ideals of classical liberalism freely made their way into America’s Declaration of Independence. On the other hand, those same principles were radically compromised as the colonists established a constitution—the legal framework for a nation being born.
After all, the Declaration served to rally the world with its proclamation of Enlightenment ideals.
The U.S. Constitution, on the other hand, needed to serve as the day-to-day framework for a nation, half of whose citizens depended on the ownership of human beings for their financial success.
Because of this practical inconvenience, the Enlightenment ideals proclaimed to the world were watered down significantly when carefully strewn along in the Articles and Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.
Robert Kagan’s latest book brings these truths into our modern situation. As Americans, we have NEVER been as selfless or liberal as our ideals let on.
There has ALWAYS been massive defiance toward liberalism within the DNA of the people who make up the United States of America.
Yes, all “men” are created equal, so long as those men are, well, er, white, male, Christian (i.e., Protestant Christian), free-market affirming, gun-possessing, folks who think and act like me.
Furthermore, those “men” to whom I pledge my fidelity must have a large quantity of government-hating patriotism in their bellies to complement their anti-liberalism.
So, these forces were not created by Trump. Far from it. These forces were given new life by Donald John Trump.
According to Kagan, the 2024 election could be the last free election held in a unified America.
If Donald Trump wins the upcoming election, his stated purpose is to avenge those who opposed him and to focus as much power as possible in one man/office: him, the President of the USA. A second Trump term could bring “the end of our democracy,” says presidential historian Douglas Brinkley, “and the birth of a new kind of authoritarian presidential order.”
As Kagan argues, a healthy republic would not be debating whether Trump and his followers seek the overthrow of the Founders’ system of liberal democracy. What more do people need to see than his well-documented attempt to prevent the peaceful transfer of power with the storming of the U.S. Capitol, the elaborate scheme to create false electoral slates in key states, the clear evidence that he bullied officials in some states to “find” more votes, and to persuade Vice President Mike Pence not to certify the legitimate results?
What more do they need to know than that Trump continues to insist he won that election and celebrates as heroes and “patriots” the people who invaded the U.S. Capitol and smashed policemen’s faces with the stated aim of forcing Congress to negate the election results?
As one 56-year-old Michigan woman present at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, explained: “We weren’t there to steal things. We weren’t there to do damage. We were just there to overthrow the government.”
If Donald Trump loses the upcoming election, Kagan notes, he is likely to call on his millions of followers to repudiate the election results. It will be a short step from there to Republican-dominated states rejecting the legitimacy of the federal government and effectively seceding from the Union. The United States at that point will cease to be united, with grave consequences for both Americans and the world.
In this book, Kagan explores the historical forces that have brought us to this moment—the long history of opposition to liberalism, and to government, that has shaped America’s character from the time of the Revolution to today.
Trump’s unique capacity to tap into that tradition of dissent and circumvent the American system has brought us to the edge of dissolution.
This is not for the first time in our history but possibly the last.
Kagan’s book is an elegant and deeply informed synthesis of history, contemporary politics, and ideas that sheds light on this crucial moment.
It is a must read.
