The Noughties proved it: the American Left is dead

The corporations run the show and the only opposition now comes from Christian populists

LAST UPDATED 12:24 PM, DECEMBER 24, 2009

Hazlitt got gloomily drunk for a fortnight after the battle of Waterloo, accurately anticipating that decades of reaction lay ahead, now that Boney had been definitely put away, with the Holy Alliance in the saddle and the French contagion safely bottled up. Smart fellow, that Hazlitt. He should have stayed drunk for a month.

Sometimes, on the edge of a new decade, things look dismal but one has the feeling that something good just might be around the corner. Take the 70s for example: at their onset, Nixon was in the high noon of his first term, presiding over frightful slaughter in Vietnam, while his attorney-general John Mitchell pored over plans to lock up the Left at home. It looked as though darkest night was falling.

And yet there was a certain edgy, desperate hope in the air - and four short years into the 70s the hopers, no longer desperate but exultant, saw Nixon clamber into a helicopter and take off from the White House lawn towards his version of St Helena, in San Clemente; and nine months later, on April 30, 1975, Gunnery Sgt. Bob Schlager and 10 other Marines finally caught the last helicopter off the roof of the US Embassy in Saigon.

Ah, those raucous, wonderful 70s. Those who missed them will never know the sweetness of life, as Talleyrand said of the ancien regime. Sweet and sharp. I spent them in New York. No better place to be. There was an exciting edge to life.

With the Eighties you could feel the air beginning to seep out of the tires. For one thing, Death kept missing his appointments in Samarra, after years of rigorous punctuality with Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, the Kennedy brothers. He'd already fumbled two dates with Gerald Ford, when his chosen messengers, Sara Jane Moore and Squeaky Fromme, messed up. On March 30, 1981, another of death's chosen messengers, John Hinckley, tried to shoot Reagan and failed to get his man.

That would have been a game changer! We'd have had three months of Ron instead of eight weird years when America plunged into fantasy, where it still resides. We wouldn't have heard Ron give the Star Wars speech, or Nancy just saying No. Or Ron saying he expected Armageddon to come in his lifetime. Or Nancy running the country with the help of Mrs Quigley, her astrologer. We'd have had George Bush Sr, surely a one-termer. It would

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Sorry - but where do people come up with these ideas that are about as far from reality as you can go. America, and the world have lurched heavily to the left until we are all living in a socialist come communist enclave. The corporations may be calling a lot of the shots, but that's because the dumb socialist political elite allow them to do so for their own benefit..... for the time being it is useful for the political elite to prosper from what the corporate world can give them... but eventually, the marxists will take them on or control them or be them. That time is too far away.

Posted by BRYAN HARRIS at 10:53am on December 24, 2009

I must disagree with Bryan Harris' assessment of the American political status. We still have a left and right. The problem is they are both at the extreme end of the spectrum. There is no meeting ground. There are a few of us left who believe there should be a middle where we can discuss issues and decide what is best for the country. The right is led, and has been for a good many years by the fundamentalist Christian leadership who learned years ago how to play the role for their own financial benefit. The left tries to counter their stand by moving as far left as possible making statements and decisions that no intelligent person could possibly agree with; all in hopes of garnering votes and support. Of course, our government is corrupt and always has been. It's just bigger and better at it today. This is a very wealthy country -- even the huge debt we now face does not come close to the value of this country. My wish is that the remaining intelligent educated populace could step forward and give some leadership. I know they are out there. That's my dream.

Posted by Blanche Radnor at 3:57pm on December 24, 2009

"communist enclave" ??? Honestly, where do you live? I wouldn't even categorize China as a 'communist enclave' any more. It's all about business. In Canada we've had socialized medicine for ages, but are further right in our politics than ever. At least the controls on our banking system saved us from the lunacy that swept the U.S. last year. Time to rein in the paranoia.

Posted by Brian Redman at 4:56pm on December 24, 2009

Your post is so spot on I don't have to write one myself Bryan Harris.

Posted by Jerome Peter at 7:03pm on December 24, 2009

This explains Cokburnt's previous reality denial re climate change - the damage done when all hope is shattered by conformity and venality. Hazlitt, as you said, had it right - get yourself to a well stocked cellar, Alex, there'll be nothing to see here for the next decade or so. And I dread to think what'll be the scenario when you/we emerge.

Posted by allan kessing at 6:55am on December 25, 2009

Left, right, and center will all be merged as one in the early years of the next decade as Gov. Sarah Palin leads the USA forward to permanent peace, prosperity, and unparalleled power.

Posted by Denmark Welles at 2:00pm on December 25, 2009