Here's an interesting article by Kevin Phillips, a knowledgeable historian, entertaining writer and conservative apostate, on the challenges to democracy faced by hereditary wealth.

I should say he doesn't discriminate by party. In addition to the Bushes, he lets former President Clinton and his wife, the "Duchess," have it too.

Very good, very worth-while article.

He has the guts (and intelligence!) to goa fter one of the most serious taxation problems in the USA right now: the regressive payroll tax. Dems won't touch it because serious payroll tax reform would impinge on their demogoguery about "protecting social security." The R's won't touch because the country club elite likes that tax just the way it is thank you very much.

He gets off base near the end when he muddies his otherwise excellent thesis by bringing in Enron. Enron has nothing to do with dynastic politics and dynastic wealth. It is also a non-scandal, politically, which likely will be irrelevant to the history of the Bush presidency. There also is little solid evidence linking Enron to Bush.

And in an article about political and financial dynasties, the omission of the Kennedys is interesting. Only one mention, and that's buried in with a mention of non-wealthy Bayhs.

Otherwise, though, it's dead on.

Interesting article. However, Phillips failed to put the blame where it belongs. We, as voters, allowed this to happen. We are not forced to vote for wealthy and connected politicians who outspend their opponents tenfold, but yet we still do. I wonder who Phillips has voted for. I'm guessing his recent votes would indicate that he is part of the problem as well.

Hi Pat125, I think he is a longstanding conservative who been openly criticizing the Republicans for some time. I don't think he was fond of Clinton...or Bush II, for that matter.

Joe Kennedy's scandalous behavior (bootlegging, support of appeasement, etc.) has been exposed, more so than probably any other dynastic figure. But it's true that he could have said more about the Kennedys. Kerry Kennedy is now married to Andrew Cuomo, there's talk that Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg might enter politics (she's brilliant so I hope she considers it), and Robert's other children (Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Joseph P. Kennedy III, etc.) have already held political office. Oh, and Patrick is one of the U.S. Reps from Rhode Island, though his appeal was slipping earlier this spring.

Enron is a major political and business scandal, and Bush has been tied to it for some time. It won't taint him, but the Bush family's links with big oil, the bin Ladens, Enron, the Carlyle Group, etc., will eventually be taken up by the media, especially if any further cracks appear in the Bush armor.

[ January 03, 2003: Message edited by: Ump25 ]