Egan is right

Reader comment on: Egan's Elitism

Submitted by Frank Miller (United States), Nov 5, 2010 10:25

I think Egan is correct. The average American *didn't* understand TARP, etc. (Neither did the Congress, but I digress). If you asked the average Tea Partier he'd say that TARP was Obama socialism. In fact, it was urged by Bush and Paulson, who immediately changed the rules. Bush, in fact, ended up as the most socialist president in history. The American people certainly didn't understand health care reform, which is evidenced by the fact that if you poll the policies separately they're almost universally popular. it's also evidenced by the signs "GET GOVERNMENT OUT OF MY MEDICARE" that popped up at the August 2009 rallies. And of course the American people didn't understand financial regulation reform -- although they sure as hell wanted to punish the banks. Your post smacks of the myth that the American people are wise. They're not wise at all. They have the potential for wisdom, but critical thinking skills evaporated from the electorate a long time ago.

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