[Political Junkie Too]

Is there room for elites in American governance, and why or why not? Is there truly a certain native wisdom resident in the People, and why or why not?

I think the problem with today's "elites" is that they see themselves as trans-national, which was probably not the case in the 18th century.

Look at the reaction by elites to the Iraq wars. They refused to show patriotism, wear flag lapel pins, even said they would not inform American military if they became aware of impending ambush.

The People, on the other hand, seem to have much more nationalistic pride in their country, and are not ashamed to openly express it, and even rejoice in it. It is from the aggregated People that we get a collective concious of what it means to be American, and why a national identity is important.

Being ruled only by people who cannot or will not articulate an American exceptionalism would lead to an erasure of ties to America's history, and the temporal responsibilities between "antiquity" and "posterity," as Paine and others often cited.

-PJ

[Publius]

That’s a good obsevation. There is a little too much Oxford and Sorbonne, and too little Georgia Tech.