Enlightened self interest

[ex-khobar Andy]

In the 1830s Alexis de Tocqueville wrote Democracy in America, in which, despite the evils of slavery which he discussed at some length, he explained how he admired Americans for their concept of enlightened self interest. “I do not think, on the whole, that there is more selfishness among us [Europeans] than in America; the only difference is that there it is enlightened, here it is not. Each American knows when to sacrifice some of his private interests to save the rest; we want to save everything, and often we lose it all.” (I added the [Europeans] to clarify the context of the quote.)

It’s sad that Americans (OK: many Americans, not a majority) seem to have unlearned the lesson they taught the rest of the world. There is a video on NYT from an Ohio soybean farmer - “I’m a Republican, always have been. I voted for Trump. I want to support him.” Mr Gibbs is pissed because, due to Trump’s tariffs, his soybeans now sell for 20% less.

One side of me wants to shout at the screen: “You voted for the fucking idiot! What part of misogynistic race baiting conman morally and financially bankrupt asshole did you not understand? We told you so and so did Secretary Clinton and so did the lying press! And yet you chose to vote for this nincompoop and expect me to feel sorry for you. Cry me a fucking river.” - and other words to that general effect.

And yet de Tocqueville’s words cling to me, this non-American who chooses to live here. I don’t vote unlike (apparently) three million plus of my fellow non-citizens who voted for HRC. My enlightened self interest (or better angel, as a real President put it) here says: don’t yell at him, this victim of a conman. Pick him up, dust him down, tell him it will be OK. Be gentle with him because he may be fragile. And above all encourage him to vote enlightenedly in November.

[MajGenl.Meade]

three million plus of my fellow non-citizens who voted for HRC

? So Trump was right about that?