What If?

by Thomas L. Friedman

Jan 20, 2016

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/20/opinion/what-if.html?comments#permid=17283809

Sheer ignorance on the part of Mr. Friedman...

"What if our 2016 election ends up being between a socialist and a borderline fascist — ideas that died in 1989 and 1945 respectively?"

Bernie Sanders is a Social Democrat, like the social democrats who have influenced Europe - for the better, for the most part - ever since 1945. And the demise of the Soviet Union has NOTHING to do with a failure of socialist ideas. 1989 was the demise of Soviet Communism, which has NOTHING to do with social democratic ideas!

To the other "what if's", as they pertain to the 2016 elections, Americans are, by and large (willfully) ignorant of the world outside. Mr. Friedman's comments about socialism attest that only too well, as does "W"'s "Axis of Evil" simplistic view of the world. But at some level Americans recognize that a lot of "stuff" is going on in the world, which they do not understand, and thus, puts fear into them. And having been brainwashed into believing that there are simple answers, not requiring much though or effort, to all their personal ills (instant diets, pills for everything real or imagined which ailes them, etc.), they are easy pray to demagogues on the right and left who promise easy answers - build a wall and have Mexico pay for it, carpet bomb ISIS, miraculously implement a single payer health system.

But there is hope. The successful negotiations with Iran, carried out with infinite patience and intelligent mistrust, is a positive sign that not all is lost.