Best of the American columnists NEWS 1522 February 2020 THE WEEKThe economy:
numbers tell
half the story
Annie Lowrey
The Atlantic
America’s economy hasenjoy ed oneofi ts best decadeson record, saysAnnieLowrey. Yetbehind
the rosygrow th an dunemployment figures, thereali ty is that millions ofpeople arebeing bled dry
by the “spiralling cost of living”. Forthem, the recentboomyears have felt “precarious or downright
terrible”.Housing cost shaveoutstripped wages in roughly 80% of America’s metro regions; even in
rural areas there hasbeenajumpinthe numberof ho useh olds spending halformore of theirincome
on housing.Young peoplesimpl ycan’taffordto move toareas where thebest jobs are. Healthcare
costshave also grown ever more exorbitant:between 2010 and 2016 alone, average familyinsurance
premiums jumpedby 28%, to $17,710.Thecostofcollege tuition has likewiseskyrocketed,as have
childcare costs,whic hhaveincreased2,000%in thepast40years, puttingacrushing burden on
young families. All thishelpsexplainwhyroughly twoin fiveAmerican adultswould st ruggleto
comeup with $400 inan emergency,and why fullyone in thre eUShouseholds is classified as
“financiallyfragile”.AsPresidentTrump hails growth figures, the“Great Affordability Crisishides
in plainsight,obvioustohouseholds but unmentionedin the country’sheadline economic numbers”.Biden: end of
the line, end
of an era?
David Von Drehle
The Washington Post
Well, it looks like it’s allover for JoeBiden, saysDavid VonDrehle. Judging by his dire showing
thusfar,anotherofthe veteran Democrat’sWhit eHousebidshas hitthe buffers.If indee dheis
soon knockedoutoft he race, it will mark the passing not just ofhisleadershiphopes,but of a
time-honouredbreedofUSpolitician .Although he’s noJFKorMayorDaley, Biden “bearsmany
of theidentifying traitsof aclassicIrish-Americanonthe hustings”:the bl arney,the heart on the
sleeve, theroistering styleofdeal-making. “Irish-machine politics” builtcitiessuchasNew York,
Boston andChicago,and reacheda“kindofapotheosis”inthe early1980s,whenRonald Reagan
was presidentandthe Democratic speakerThomas “Tip” O’Neill controlled Congress.Butover
recentyears,ast he U Shas become moreethnically mixed, Irish heritagehasbecome “a nonfactor”.
Today’s voterslookatBidenand justseeanold whiteguy.How completely theoldworld has
vanished was made clear by thebrief rise of Beto O’Rourke.Eventhoug hhebears aresemblanceto
the “Irish-Americanprince ”Bobby Kennedy, andhas an unmistakably Irish surname,“people kept
mistaking him for Hispanic”. Times have movedon.Biden is the last ofhispoliticalspecies.Anotheryear, another appalling Oscars,says Freddy Gray. Theceremonyhas “always been
fundamentallysilly” ,but it’s nowbeyond parody. This year’sAcademy Awards hadavegan
menuandfeaturedeven morepontificatingthan usual. Brad Pitt heldforth about impeachment;
the filmmaker Julia Reichert called for the “workersofthe world” to“unite”;NataliePortmanhad
the names of allthe female directors whoweren’tnominatedsewn into the hem ofherdress cape;
Joaquin Phoenix ranted aboutsexism, nationalismand th eevilsofc ows’ milk.Itwas al lsot iresome,
and explainswhyaudience figuresfor theOscarshave tankedinthe past decade. Until recently,
movie stars“slightly restrained theirsanctimoniousness” because they knewpeople listenedtowhat
they said.But now,sensing thatnobody caresabout their viewsany more, they’re “jus thowlinginto
cyberspace, ever more desperatetobeheard”.Theinter nethas “killedthe Hollywoodstar. Fame has
beendisrupted.” Andy Warholpredicted that,oneday, everyonewouldbefamousfor15minutes,
butit’s more the case that everyone is now famousto at least15 people.“Instagram,Twitter and
Facebook mean we don’thave toogle th estars anymore; we are toobusy ogling ourselves.”And the award
for most crass
posturing...
Freddy Gray
Spectator USA
“Soonerorlater,theDemocrats’
decades-longmarchtotheleftwas
boundtoendintheexplicitembrace
ofsocialism,”saidtheNational
Review.Thatmomentappearstohave
arrived.Thefirsttwocontestsofthe
primaryseasonhaveestablishedBernie
Sanders,theself-describeddemocratic
socialistSenatorfromVermont,as
theindisputablefront-runnerforthe
Democraticpresidentialnomination.
Withtheparty’sothercandidates
splittingthemoderatevotebetween
them,the78-year-oldSandersisthe
onetobeat.Hehas“strongsupporters
nationwide”;hehasmomentum;and,
asthetopfundraiserintheDemocraticprimaries,hehasthe
money“togothedistance”.TheriseofSandersrepresentsaseachangeinUSpolitics,said
RussellBermaninTheAtlantic.Foryears,theRepublicanshave
successfully“weaponised”thetermsocialismagainstliberals
inordertoportraythemasdangerousradicals,butthetactic
isno longer working.Young votersareopentoSanders’sideas
today.“Socialism asan epithethaslostits sting.” More than
hisideology,it’sSanders’ssincerity thatreallyappealstoliberal
voters,saidMeganMcArdle inTheWashingtonPost.Hisspeeches,likethoseofDonaldTrump,
appeartocomefromtheheart.
Authenticityisanoverratedvirtue
inpolitics,butwhenyou“lookback
onthepasttwodecadesofpoliticians
whopromisedeverythingwouldbe
different,thendeliveredmoreofthe
same,onlysomehowworse”,youcan
seewhysomanyvotersnowprefer
“honestdevilsovertwo-facedsaints”.Ifit’sanyconsolationtomoderate
Democrats,theUSisnottheonly
countrywherearadicalsocialisthas
eclipsedtheflounderingcentre-left,
saidRichLowryonPolitico.
Sanders,whohoneymoonedintheSovietUnion,bearsa
closeresemblanceto“hisequallyaged,gruffanddishevelled
ideologicalcousinfromtheUK,JeremyCorbyn”.Hiselectoral
prospectsareaboutthesame,too,saidThomasL.Friedmanin
TheNewYorkTimes.“Onwhatplanet”isanavowedsocialist
–onewhowantstotakeawaytheprivatehealthcarecoverage
ofsome 150 millionAmericans,andreplaceitwithahuge,
untested,nationalhealth systemopentoillegalimmigrants –
“goingto beatthe Trumpmachinethisyear”?Liberalstalk
excitedlyofarevolution. Here’s arevolution:“four moreyears
of DonaldTrump,unencumbered by theneedto get re-elected”.Sanders:theappealofauthenticityBernie Sanders: making socialism acceptable?