As we await the debut of the Trump administration’s healthcare policy, perhaps it will be helpful, providing a useful context, if we step back and consider the wisdom of the 19th century free-market economist, Frédéric Bastiat. In 1848, in an essay entitled “What Is Seen and What Is Not Seen,” Bastiat argued that shortsighted people look only at immediate and obvious effects, which could be harmful, while farsighted people look to longer-term and not-so-obvious effects—which could be beneficial.
Author: James P. Pinkerton
PINKERTON: The Fate of Obamacare in the Trump Era — What the Middle Class Wants, It Will Get
When all is said and done, the Trumpcare that replaces Obamacare will reflect the interests of Trump voters, and the middle class. It will thus be different from past efforts, coming from both sides of the aisle, to devise a workable form of health i…
‘The Populist Explosion’: New Book Explains Rise of Trump, Sanders, and the Populist Future
Whither populism? Is the insurgency associated with Donald Trump and Sen. Bernie Sanders a flash in the pan, or is it something real The answer to that question, of course, depends on who does the answering. Most of the Republican establishment, along with the Democratic establishment—which some describe as the “Uniparty”—would prefer to believe that the populism of Trump and Sanders is temporary, that is, a nightmare from which they will soon awaken. Meanwhile, the Trumpians and the Sandersistas see themselves as part of a long-term force, even the winning force, within their respective parties. Yet now comes an author with an arresting argument: He believes that the Trump and Sanders groups, currently in different political parties, might yet find themselves fighting on the same side—perhaps even in the same party.
James Pinkerton – The October Surprises: Donald Trump and Mike Pence Remind Us that This Is a Change Election
Remember the “October Surprise”? I sure do. Back in the 1980 presidential campaign, the October Surprise was the rumor that the incumbent president, Jimmy Carter, vexed as he was by the Iranian hostage crisis, would pull off some shocking ploy—such as gaining the sudden release of the hostages—as a way of winning that year’s November election. That October Surprise never happened, of course, and maybe we’ll never really know if it was ever anything more than a figment of someone’s imagination.
James Pinkerton: Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms Are from 1941: We Need New Freedoms in the 21st Century
In his 1941 State of the Union address, President Franklin D. Roosevelt articulated his vision of the American social contract, which became known as the “Four Freedoms.” These were, “freedom of speech,” “freedom of worship,” “freedom from want,” and “freedom from fear.” Those big ideas have defined much of the 20th century—and not just in America.
James Pinkerton – The Democrats vs. The Deplorables, Part Two: The Immigration Flashpoint
In an earlier article, “The Democrats vs. The Deplorables: The New Class Struggle Comes to the Midwest,” this author detailed the Democrats’ systematic campaign against the interests of American energy workers, many of them unionized—a curious stance for the presumed party of working people and labor unions. In this piece, I will outline an even more curious stance: the Democrats’ systematic campaign against American border security and American sovereignty.
James Pinkerton – The Democrats vs. The Deplorables: The New Class Struggle Comes to the Midwest
The Democrats, once the party of working people, are now a party dominated by environmentalists and multiculturalists. And I can prove it.