Bernie’s Utopia

When Megan Kelly, the Fox News journalist/interviewer, asked Dr Ben Carson why he thought Bernie Sanders was polling so well for the Democrats in the US leadership selection procedure, his answer was both concise and insightful.

“The young, the millennials, think socialism stands for social issues”.  Bernie’s socialist views are attracting the young voters.  A somewhat surprising scenario for a country that grew to become the greatest economic power in less than 100 years from its revolutionary independence from Britain in 1776.

Bernie’s success in New Hampshire and Nevada meant the Clinton party machine needed to review strategy prior to South Carolina and Super Tuesday.  They did – they joined him in becoming more left leaning.  Her campaign becoming more liberal with anti-inequality themes.  The outcome – Clinton trounced Sanders in South Carolina and her campaign is back on track.

As Carson articulated his rationale – the live audience was transfixed and the viewing compelling.  Here was a black, neuro-surgeon standing for individual rights, freedom and free enterprise (looking for voters in the Republican nomination) delivering an expose on the failure of socialism to a largely white audience. 

I’m as big a rugby fan as the next Kiwi bloke, having been to four World Cups and once toured NZ in the 1970’s attending every Lions match (in the North Island) – live.  This weekend marked the commencement of the new super rugby competition.  I watched Fox News.  The debate is gripping.

Issues and ideas can be somewhat submerged under the political rhetoric and personality attacks, the transparency of incompetency being glaringly obvious.  The fundamentals however keep re-emerging.  The voters are dissatisfied with the political hegemony of Washington, the 17 trillion in debt concerns them, they fear radical Islam, illegal immigration is a big issue, healthcare and their costs are paramount and jobs are hard to find or keep.  This from a country that creates nearly 50% of world capital markets.  We need to be concerned or at least, interested.  The market capital is international and the ‘jobs’ – the same.  Americans want the jobs back!

Whilst our millennials do the Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter thing – I’m sure the US new young voters are similar with social media usage.  Probably why the turn out and audience participation is so high – at least they are flashing placards as opposed to AK47’s.  But just as the Muslim fundamentalists are finding success in controlling young minds – as did Hitler and Mussolini, and before them many religious clerics – the US democrat politicians are seizing the opportunity to promote Utopia.

In the words of Ben Carson.  Utopia doesn’t exist and cradle to grave socialism does not work, it has been comprehensively disproven.  In every instance of its introduction and implementation, we see: a powerful few at the top, a declining middle class and an expanding lower class.

As both India and China develop their more capitalist economies we see the greatest expansion of middle class wealth the world has ever experienced.  It is not socialism which is pulling the levers of growth in these countries but the advance of freedom – profit, ownership, speech, and lifestyle.  A greater democratic say.

We cannot expect our young to accept capitalist idealism, however if we are narcissistic to personal wealth and environment at the expense of the next generation.  The issues which are bubbling under the surface of the US society and on occasion exploding in the schools and on the streets of America – will inevitable flow through to us.  It is happening now.  Our speech is deteriorating, our clothing (especially the young) more US than European influence, our food, our music, our debt and monetary system, all copied from the ‘Land of the Free’.  We are even looking to change flags – perhaps a NZ ‘Republic’ is next.

As the world attempts to recover from the global financial crisis and is gripped by political and religious fundamentalism in Europe and the Middle East it would be wise to contemplate the basis of US and European divergence.  Will the UK exit from the EU?  Will the Eastern European states once again become puppets of Russian imperialism and its communist/socialist resurgence?  Can US recover from its mountain of debt and once again become the arbiter of world order?  Will China and Japan resume centuries of protagonisim and can we all hold our breath as the young North Korean leader extends his hubris?

These are interesting times.  US is critical to our future.  Whilst Ben Carson is not likely to achieve Republican nomination it is a confidence boost to have such minds calming the debate and emphasising philosophy.