In my latest book, America’s Counterfeit Democracy: Rule of the Power Elites, I argue that democracy in America is an illusion because the government is controlled by elites who use wealth and power to protect and expand their assets. This reality is nothing new, because wealthy men have controlled governments since land ownership became practical several thousand years ago.
Now, we fast-forward to the present day.
After conservative activist Charlie Kirk was killed in September, Donald Trump vowed retribution against groups that he said have done “tremendous damage to our country.” The president directed his administration to prosecute anyone engaged in political violence.
Nothing has happened since, because these pronouncements have come into conflict with the wishes of the elites. No widespread crackdown has arrived, and the idea is stalled.
It turns out there are concerns among conservative elites that Trump’s attacks are dangerous. Talk of going after people like George Soros makes them nervous for a couple of reasons. First, they see Trump as becoming the Democrats when they dragged him through lawfare during the Biden years. Second, they worry that the Democrats will turn the tables on the Republicans when they regain power.
Many MAGA supporters are very unhappy with this delay. They have felt the sting of Democrat abuse for decades when they had no recourse. And there is plenty of real evidence for some of these crimes.
“Blanket threats bring out the worst in the use of political power, mimic what the left has done for too many years, and don’t advance the purposes of getting us to a lawful nation that at least tries to respect people’s privacy rights, property rights, and associational rights,” said Margaret Little of the New Civil Liberties Alliance, a conservative organization.
An unnamed Republican congressman added, “They shouldn’t be going after them.”
Others disagree. One former congressional staffer said the donor complaints were illogical, because “blowback’s coming anyway. What matters is we were winning this issue,” implying that they aren’t now.
The Congressman’s quote expressing reservations reveals the wimpiness of conservatives, who are afraid of their own shadows. Has anyone noticed a Democrat losing their nerve because they were fearful of conservatives? No one is afraid of conservatives because they always give up the fight. It’s about time that changed.
Trump is acting as the conservatives’ backbone, even though he isn’t a conservative.
This ideological battle has been ongoing since the end of the Civil War and began with the Progressive Movement. The left has been more aggressive than the right, seeking equality, while conservatives focus on preserving the status quo and traditions. Trump has loaned the Republican Party the aggressiveness it has never possessed, but needs desperately. Still, his accomplishments are limited by the comfort level of Republican elites, which filters down to their lackeys in Congress.
Trump was elected by people who polls showed cared about stopping the censorship and political prosecutions. The legacy press’s characterization of these issues was that Trump was merely attacking “perceived enemies” that didn’t really exist, a characterization that hasn’t changed since the 2024 election. So far, the New York Times’ display of exploding drug boats and masked ICE raids doesn’t appear to be losing Trump support among independents or donors who supported him.
In the end, MAGA disappointment might not come from what Trump is doing, but from what he promised to do that has not been fulfilled. If the elites block progress against the sins of the Democrats, Trump’s followers will give him part of the blame.
Since both parties started accusing each other of sedition, insurrection, and domestic terrorism, these terms have lost their meaning (like racism). But the watering down of a major complaint during Trump’s campaign, that he was getting attacked for his beliefs, will reduce some of the enthusiasm that formed the basis for his support. MAGA wants some retribution so they can feel they have won for a change.
The wealthy enjoy seeing the parties fight because that takes the public’s attention off them. Their perpetual belief is that they can put a stop to anything using money. The power of that money over politicians binds them to serving the needs of the elites rather than the people.
Don’t think of the elites as party-driven. In reality, they are money-driven and have much more in common with elites in the other party than they do with their constituents. They are a rich man’s club where money takes priority over party affiliation.
Wrong Speak is a free-expression platform that allows varying viewpoints. All views expressed in this article are the author’s own.
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“Their perpetual belief is that they can put a stop to anything using money. The power of that money over politicians binds them to serving the needs of the elites rather than the people.”
This of course is true today, but the cause is not money, nor is it the greed of either the elites or the politicians. The cause may be distilled down to the abrogation of the Constitution by all three branches of government.
“ I argue that democracy in America is an illusion because the government is controlled by elites who use wealth and power to protect and expand their assets.”
I believe you are confusing cause and effect. Democracy is how elites obtain wealth and power, and thereby expand their assets.
Individuals who create real wealth don’t need a system (democracy) that fosters rent-seeking.
Such true producers (capitalists) need only liberty.