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August 22, 2022

America was created as a constitutionally limited republic for many reasons, one of which was to be governed by “we the people” rather than the political dynasties so prevalent in Europe, from where most early Americans and patriots emigrated.

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These political dynasties all have in commonwealth, sometimes earned legitimately, but more often through inheritance or through the selective use of their political power for which they were remunerated via obscure pathways.

American dynasty names are familiar – Kennedy, Bush, Cheney, McCain, Clinton – just to name a few. These families believe they are entitled to power and wealth simply by virtue of their last names. Political office is their right, regardless of what they do with this power, and they band together in opposition to any challenge to this power.

Despite being of different political parties, they are actually far more similar than different. It is like a group of country club kids creating two baseball or basketball teams, one wearing red shirts, the other blue shirts, but at the end of the game, the shirts come off and the kids all have a fine dinner at the club, then return to their mansions along the golf course, often next door to each other.

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This entitled class is known as the ruling class, the establishment, or the elites. It is like the country club where you can’t enjoy the perks of membership without an invitation from existing members.

As George Carlin observed,

It’s a big club, and you ain’t in it. They don’t give a f*** about you. Because the owners of this country know the truth: it’s called the American Dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it.

I am not in that club, and neither are most readers of this column. Club membership is not solely based on wealth as billionaire Donald Trump is not in the club either. Nor is Elon Musk.

But before he entered politics, Trump was most certainly in the club, a darling of American elites, posing for photographs with presidents, celebrities, and athletes. He hosted a wildly popular television reality show and was a frequent guest of Oprah and other liberal club members.

When he came down the escalator at Trump Tower in June 2015 announcing his improbable candidacy for the presidency, his club membership was put on probation. At first the elites thought his candidacy a novelty, a joke on America, a scheme to sell books or promote his celebrity and television endeavors. He was a regular on Morning Joe, yucking it up with Joe and Mika.