Writing for Bloomberg View Megan McArdle has this to say:
Warren has a pretty clear agenda for American society, and she thinks that the best way to get that agenda enacted is to stir anger in the hearts of voters who see a lot of things gone wrong and figure that, well, someone must have done it to them, probably those folks over there who don’t seem to be suffering as much as the rest of us. I think her agenda is oversimplified paternalism combined with a touching naivete about the effects of regulation, but on tactics, I think she’s probably mostly right.
McArdle is correct, old Liz’s tactics are right. It’s a well proven tactic used for all of time. Take all the burden of responsibility off the individuals you want on your side, find a suitable scapegoat and direct their anger toward that scapegoat. Bazinga‼️, the masses feel better, you are a hero and actually solving problems via telling people the truth is irrelevant.
There is no point in hashing it out again, but the fact remains that what Old Liz is angry about so often and so loudly is the collective fault of tens of millions of individuals acting irresponsibly, not her convenient scapegoats who while taking advantage of that irresponsibility, are not the source of the problem.
To achieve her goals, her tactics are effective, but that doesn’t make them less dangerous for all of society.
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