We Can Stop Taking "The Atlantic" Seriously

The latest issue of "The Atlantic" contains an article by Jonathan Rauch tiled "How American Politics Went Insane." It is a strange article, not particularly clear, and based on dubious conclusions, notably how Rauch equates Bernie Sanders with Donald Trump. Rauch's point seems to be that American politics is suffering from too much democracy, and that we should go back to time when political bosses and "fixers" made things run more smoothly. If Rauch were as erudite as he thinks he is, he should know that political bossism actually produced a corrupt and unresponsive political system that made a mockery of democracy.

The reality is that American democracy has become a mere façade. The GOP continues to rule Congress without challenge. The Democrats have ceased to exist as a political party and have become a "franchise" of the Clinton clan. That is how the Clintons were able to quash the Bernie Sanders campaign. The cynical strategy of HRC is to win just by being the "lesser evil." The problem isn't too much democracy, but that the voters will be presented with a "choice" that isn't really a choice.