11-20-2016, 06:01 PM
(11-20-2016, 03:05 AM)Galen Wrote: Consider the following idea for a moment. If Trump is a tool of the economic elites that have run the US for the last century then why did they expend so much effort to keep him from being elected? One way to take the measure of a man is to look at his allies. It is also possible and necessary to look at his enemies as well.
If you believe Turchin's theory about elite competition that Mikebert is so fond of, Trump is not a tool of the economic elites, but he is one of them himself. The others among the elites hate him because he's a competitor. Imagine how Bloomberg, who is ten times as rich as Trump and was considering a presidential run, is feeling now. Suddenly Trump, who was previously some minor billionaire barely on his radar screen, is more powerful than he is.
From the standpoint of a typical prole, there may not seem to be much difference between a middleman for the elites like Clinton, and someone who cuts out the middlemen like Trump.
From the standpoint of Turchin's theory, though, this should be a hopeful development for the proles. Because Trump isn't beholden to the economic elites, he is far more free to set about cutting them down to size than anyone else would have been.