In Clinton vs.
Tocqueville...
|
In Clinton vs. Tocqueville...
(November 27th issue of U.S. News) |
Michael Barone
likens today with Tocqueville’s 1830 preindustrial America. “Today’s
America, like Tocqueville’s is
decentralized, individualistic, religious, property
loving... it is egalitarian in that
people show little deference to established authorities in business, medicine,
religion, the media or politics... (its) natural inclination ... is to
dismantle big government, to decentralize power, to hold individuals rather
than society responsible for their actions.”
Barone’s analysis leads to Article I of the
Constitution which he stresses is about Congress -- not the President -- and indicates that this apparent restoration of constitutional
order may benefit a perceived
‘indecisive’ Clinton. The disappearance
of economic emergencies and hot or cold
wars has reduced the need for the ‘commanding’ Presidency. Barone concludes, however: “If Gingrich and his allies stand firm, the
character of American society today and the order of the Constitution will give
the president little choice but to accept most of their decisions.”
Whooa, wait a sec.. Might there be a deeper,
different brand of individualism
bubbling across America’s plains than indicated by these national brands?
Consider
economics: Through our industrial era, the rich grew
richer off their investments while the
blue collars worked enough to raise their own Buick boats. Today owners’ equity
grows even bigger as blue collar wages shrink --- so:
¨
thousands
of mutual funds and discount brokers
opened to give the fading blues a chance to own too
¨
ESOPs
(employee stock ownership plans) soared to own United birds flying our friendly
skies
¨
franchising roared through the 70’s and 80’s,
as fading blues and whites bet their savings on their ability to run a business
¨
network marketing booms in the 90’s, as
stay-pressed collars continue investing time and money in pushing today’s more
easily delivered products
¨
home offices and garage workshops spread
through neighborhoods, as do lap tops and tools of independent trade, and
sometimes Uncles Sam can’t even count the exchange
¨
.http
and .www become code names for a contemporary band of freedom fighters who use knowledge as a tool of economic and political self defense
¨
and we seem more ready to discontinue lending
to the poor.
Consider
politics: Political parties had a field day through
the 60’s spending or bombing money and making
60 second pol art. Too slowly,
these art merchants noticed rising public disenchantment. Today MIPS reports that the percentage of thinking people
disliking parties, campaigns and the
governing process is the highest in history.
MIPS (My Intuitive Polling Survey) draws its data from recent surges,
such as:
à
Continuing
growth of party times: Move over
Libertarians here come the Reform dancers choreographed by Ross the Boss; the
Green Party with the Consumers Top Cop, Ralph Nader, holding Presidential dance
tickets; Bradley, Wickert, Tsongas, Penny, Love and gang hanging out around
Concord deciding whether to warn Americans that a revolution is coming; and
Jesse’s Rainbow again squinting into the sunshine of November 96, days after
torrents of tears over Colin’s demur finally cleared.
à
Resurgence
of campaign reform initiative legislation and continued public support for term
limits
à
Growing
support and understanding of how to
establish a national initiative process.
Many of
those working to establish a national initiative have learned from 20+
years of initiative work /study. They now need to raise sufficient funds to be
ready to offset the negative campaign that any challenge to the status quo
faces. They need not match the
opponents campaign war chest. They
must, however, run a smart campaign with some money.
If not, they might still be noted by Tocqueville’s
1990s standard bearer -- the Tofflers?-- as a signpost on America’s plains of individuality,
diversity and richness. They will not, however, have added enough skill
and power to weld an American Constitutional tool for blue and white collar
use.