Even in his most imaginative early mornings it’s impossible to presume
that Charles L. Dodgson – more widely known by his pen-name, Lewis Carroll – would
have believed the 2016 Presidential race would be featuring an eccentric 74-year
old democratic socialist (formerly just a socialist, who in 1988 honeymooned
in the USSR) and a 69-year old bizarre billionaire Republican (and a former
Democrat).
In November 1864 Lewis Carroll wrote his manuscript, Alice’s Adventures Under Ground.[1]
He gave it to Alice Liddell – the daughter of a colleague, and the protagonist
of his manuscript – as “A Christmas gift to a dear child in memory of a summary
day.” He later expanded the manuscript and it was published in 1865 as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Although
the original book initially received tepid reviews, it quickly gained
popularity. Carroll himself drew the original manuscript’s illustrations. The
published book’s illustrations, drawn by John Tenniel, were more favorably
reviewed than Carroll’s story. Attesting to its fame, the book has never been
out of print.
After re-reading the manuscript, I am persuaded that our current
presidential campaign has more in common with Alice’s adventures than I imagined.
Hence this blog ties several aspects of the candidates’ continuing crusades
towards Washington, DC with that long-ago adventure. I’ve introduced quotes
from Carroll’s manuscript to guide the discussion.
“Curiouser and curiouser…” (p. 11, Alice’s Adventures Under Ground)
As more time passes, the stranger these campaigns become. After an
extended political nap, populism appears firmly resurrected for several of the presidential
aspirants. The Trump and Sanders campaigns both offer considerable populist
ingredients, including Mr. Trump’s “beautiful wall” that will allegedly seal
the US-Mexico border and Sen. Sanders’ fierce criticism of Wall Street and CEOs.
For fervent populists, it’s been a long time coming. Some
historians consider the 7th President of the US – Andrew Jackson (1829-1837) –
to have been the last elected populist president, with his emphasis against
entrenched political and economic interests together with his focus on the wellbeing
of “common people.” Jackson’s presidency has been highly ranked (#8
overall) by both liberal and conservative reviewers.
“For you see, so many out-of-the-way
things [meaning very unusual things, like falling down a rabbit hole] had happened today, that Alice began to
think very few things indeed were really impossible.” (p. 7)
At this point political soothsayers have had to apologize several
times for their faulty pronouncements of Sen. Sanders’ and Mr. Trump’s imminent
demise. Instead, Sen. Sanders’ popularity continues to rise and Mr. Trump’s
domination remains unyielding in the Democratic and Republican races,
respectively. Not so ago these oracles wrote-off both these candidates as
improbable at best. Despite the sages’ expectations, neither populist has
fallen by the campaign wayside yet, much to the consternation of the political
“establishment” in both parties. The fantasies propounded by Sen. Sanders and
Mr. Trump have instead seized the hearts and minds of voters in Iowa, New
Hampshire and beyond. Impossible; no longer.
Make no mistake; many of the policies proposed by Sen. Sanders and
Mr. Trump are fantasies. Sen. Sanders’ centerpiece desire to reduce income
inequality, however well-intentioned, rests on actions that have little if any
hope of becoming law. For example, as I mentioned before,
his “free college” plan certainly sounds enticing to the young voters he’s been
targeting, but if implemented (a highly unlikely prospect) ultimately will
cause much letdown and disappointment. As high-school graduates overwhelm
public colleges and universities with their tuition-free applications, even assuming state
governments have provided their universities (especially in the 31 states that
have Republican governors) with the $750 billion needed to eliminate tuition
revenue, it will be a long time before these colleges are able to increase
their capacity to meaningfully educate the myriad of new applicants. And what
happens to the value of higher education when the supply of BA degree-holders
has increased significantly?
Sen. Sanders’ distain for market-based government programs – even government-subsidized
plans like student loans and low-income medical policies – will require huge
increases in government funding. Economists have estimated these policies may
require an additional $18 trillion in new spending, an amount equal to this
year’s entire GDP. These increases will necessitate higher federal taxes. Sen.
Sanders’ stump speech always mentions increasing taxes on the 1%; he doesn’t
say taxes will also need to be raised for many more folks way below the 1%. More
than 80%
of his proposed tax increases to pay for his single-payer health plan will come
from new broad-based income and payroll taxes that would apply to nearly all
workers, not just the rich and wealthy. Sen. Sanders’ revolution would not only
expand the role of the federal government and provide benefits to many more citizens;
it would revolutionize our tax system by increasing taxes for most people. Given
our current political environment, that prospect is beyond any realistic hope
of implementation. This implausible possibility hasn’t at all reduced his
growing appeal. Given Sen. Sanders’ increasing popularity, very few things now
seem impossible, just like Alice thought long ago in wonderland.
“Off with their heads!” said the Queen
to her Knave. (p. 73)
Mr. Trump has loudly and zealously espoused many radical policies
that contravene existing programs, including placing punitive tariffs on China’s
exports to the US, rapidly deporting 11 million Hispanic residents, building
the “beautiful wall,” pre-emptively striking North Korea and walking away from
NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement between the US, Mexico and
Canada). Explanations remain absent from the Trump campaign about exactly how
such policies would benefit this country and its citizens, or “make our country
great again.” There seems little doubt that Mr. Trump’s populist base would have
little compunction about having heads of the “establishment” roll off their
perches.
“You’re enough to try the patience of an
oyster.” (p. 30)
Unlike Mr. Trump and Sen. Sanders, their benighted competitors
have not yet figured out how to gain the acceptance and confidence of many potential
voters. Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, John Kasich and Hillary Clinton must
be exasperated with their unsuccessful efforts to date. Even though they are not oysters, their patience
continues to be severely tested.
“That’s very curious!” Alice thought,
“But everything’s curious today.” “I
know something interesting is sure to happen.” (pp. 66 and 35)
First confirmation of Einstein’s precept called gravity
waves was publicized on Feb 11, 2 days after the New Hampshire primary. This
may not be a coincidence. These waves have been spinning around the political
firmament for months, and have reached a crescendo following the Feb 9 primary
vote. Political gravity waves (PGWs) are being created by the ever-nearer
circling of the 2 most-prominent political stars, Bernie16 and Donald16 in an
alternative galaxy. If their event horizons ever meet, be prepared. Here’s what
the possible collision of these 2 stars and the subsequent PGWs, reflecting
ripples in the fabric of political space-time, may sound
like. As a good friend noted, maybe that’s the sound of the unrealistic colliding
with the untenable.
Alice simply woke up from her dreamed adventures in wonderland,
but we may need to fasten your seat belts.
[1]
I have a copy of this 91-page manuscript. The Limited Editions Club of New York
published Carroll’s hand-written manuscript in 1964 (100 years after it was
created), when my father was a member of the club.
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