France is only the latest example of Europe’s left-right spectrum decomposing from below, as the lower-middle (heirs to the Poujadists and the Trotskyists) revolts against the orthodoxies of the upper-middle. The mostly shallow fusionism of Ségo and Sarko marks a clumsy attempt to reconcile with the new political reality. European politicians, at least, “Are All Pim Fortuyns Now.” I think it’s only a matter of time before a similar political landscape emerges here in the United States. We have the considerable advantage of a large and growing economy, and yet we also have a sky-high rate of incarceration that might soon become for us what tension over assimilation and immigration has been for Europe — and then some. ~Reihan Salam
The Lower-Middle Strikes Back
9 Responses to The Lower-Middle Strikes Back
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In this post, I believe Reihan was speaking of the growing economy relative to the rather anemic growth rate in France. Perhaps he means to make an even stronger claim than that, but this would be my first guess.
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Christopher Hayes says:
If we have a decline in the upper-middle Left, who will teach at the colleges and high schools?
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sold. just say when and where and I’ll put in my admission papers. (I really do have some schooling to do still. Have you considered teaching?)
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kranza says:
I’m there. Let’s do this. When does class start?
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Much talk is given to France’s and Germany’s economy. Considering that these are two of the largest economies in the Eurozone, one has difficulty explaining why it now takes over $1.35 to buy one Euro. Five years ago, it took $0.92 to buy one Euro. While there is truth to the claim that France’s economy was lagging, over the prior 5 years one cannot plausibly make the claim that the Eurozone was less prolific than the US economy. France is projected to have 2% GDP growth over the next 5 years. US GDP is expected in the 2.7% range over the same time period. The US is anticipated to have higher inflation than France though. (As measured by CPI. Keep in mind that these aren’t apples to apples comparisons. Economic statistics are calculated differently in each country. Europe tends to be more conservative in their calculations, and the US tends to massage theirs.)
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The US massages numbers? How dare you sir! (I now slap M.Z. with a white glove).
“Large and growing economy”? According to whom, the White House?