Thank you, Dan. To me, the biggest lesson from the last few years, punctuated by yesterday’s news, is how vital it is to never stop reinforcing the institutions and conventions we rely upon and never fail to influence each succeeding generation on why complacency about past gains fosters unpalatable present and future risks. Of course, the trick is to say all that in new and refreshing language that is hard to dismiss in an era when history lessons are too often seen as the preserve of ‘non-modern-minded’ people. I am struck by all the Twitter reminders in recent weeks that Hillary was right about everything! What she and FDR both seem to have discovered - at their and society’s cost - is how much even the most rational or urgent policies must be sold in a competitive market for ideas where the majority can be convinced to vote against their own self-interest. Justice is a week instrument if it is not sponsored by those with a mix of learning, competence and conviction.
Thank you, Dan. To me, the biggest lesson from the last few years, punctuated by yesterday’s news, is how vital it is to never stop reinforcing the institutions and conventions we rely upon and never fail to influence each succeeding generation on why complacency about past gains fosters unpalatable present and future risks. Of course, the trick is to say all that in new and refreshing language that is hard to dismiss in an era when history lessons are too often seen as the preserve of ‘non-modern-minded’ people. I am struck by all the Twitter reminders in recent weeks that Hillary was right about everything! What she and FDR both seem to have discovered - at their and society’s cost - is how much even the most rational or urgent policies must be sold in a competitive market for ideas where the majority can be convinced to vote against their own self-interest. Justice is a week instrument if it is not sponsored by those with a mix of learning, competence and conviction.
Great article. Thank you.
That would be a “weak instrument”.