Jean-Claude Juncker welcomes Biden (then VP) to the party (Photo credit should read EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images)
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For many liberal Americans, the European Union is the perfect elite model: a non-elected, highly credentialed bureaucracy that embraces and seeks to enforce the environmental, social and cultural zeitgeist of the urban upper classes. It is, as the establishment Council on Foreign Relations puts it, a “model for regional integration”.
Now that “progressives” have returned to the White House, aping the EU has become a national policy. Taking his cue from his party’s Left, President Joe Biden has already sought to federalise many functions — from zoning to labour laws to education — that historically have been under local control.
But while Biden’s administration has been embraced by the Eurocrats, Americans would do well to consider the EU’s remarkable record of turning Europe into the developed world’s economic and technological laggard. Overall, nearly a third of Europeans consider Brussels an utter failure; half admit the EU’s pandemic response was inadequate. Indeed, while the American media was busy denouncing the US response to Covid under Trump as the “worst” in the world, the EU was showing them how it was done: of the 15 countries suffering the highest fatality rates, 13 are European, of which nine are in the EU — all worse than the US.
The US may always have had a “Federal Government”, but the notion of dispersed power gained approval from many on the Left only after President Trump’s election, as many Democrats looked to local government as a means of fighting back. Cheerleaders for Barack Obama’s imperial presidency, such as The New Yorker, started to embrace states’ rights with an almost Confederate enthusiasm.
But once the Democrats won back the House in 2018, the appeal of total central power became irresistible, with leading Democrats competing for who could most expand DC’s remit. Kamala Harris, now Vice President, demanded Washington give teachers across the country a federally funded five-figure pay rise, while Beto O’Rourke and Julian Castro sought to hand over local planning and zoning powers to the DC bureaucrats.
President Trump, for what it’s worth, had little interest in such issues — though even he made a point of trying to overturn states’ laws when it suited his agenda, particularly with the border wall and his attempts to crack down on radical education policies. In many ways, Trump’s authoritarian brand of Republicanism was always going to express an interest in an expanded federal role.
Yet in looking to expand federal power, Biden is picking up the mantle of President Obama, regarded by Republicans as one of the most prolific authors of executive power in US history. During its first six years, the Obama administration put forward more than twice as many major rules as George W. Bush’s government during the same period, focusing largely on issues such as climate change and immigration.
Of course, the notion of decentralised control — and the benefits associated with it — predates America. Ancient Roman cities enjoyed particular autonomy from central control, while the great Italian and Dutch cities of the early modern period developed extensive forms of self-government and, in some cases, functioned as independent states. Indeed, born out of Enlightenment ideals about limited government, the US Constitution lays out a system of dispersed power, creating in localities “the habits of self-government”.
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SubscribeThe Chinese and the Russians don’t even have to try. All they have to do is stand aside and watch Europe and the US decline and collapse owing to the actions of the most useless leaders the world has ever seen.
One wonders if they’re not in collusion with each other.
Well the Bidens were quite happy to take enormous amounts of money off the China. And both Schroder and Merkel have indulged Russia in various ways, with Merkel now doing deals with China in order to save the German car industry.
Moreover, it is undeniably true that those whose long march has led them to the top of all our institutions would be very happy to see the Chinese model applied to all of us.
Many white urban Democrat voters want to feel European, which for them is being all things cultured and progressive, as opposed to their fellow rural Americans, despised as trailer trash and rednecks. A Hillbilly Elegy beautifully narrates the difference between the two Americas.
Historians will look back and study a time when some anglophone whites turned against their own people. They will also ask why. I wish I knew now what they will find then.
‘Many white urban Democrat voters want to feel European, which for them is being all things cultured and progressive…’
With reference to another of today’s article, a visit to Basildon would rapidly disabuse them of this notion. Perhaps this could be arranged.
I’m not sure the “white urban Democrat voters” in question would consider Great Britain to be adequately European, especially since Brexit. Rather like out own left-leaning upper middle classes, really.
Fair point. In which case, show them the bland suburbs that characterize most of the Netherlands, with their bitterballen and bad beer. Or the ****hole that is most of Lyon and Marseilles etc, or the bleak wastes of the Ruhr.
Biden, and a lot of EU bureaucrats don’t get it. The more they tighten their grip and try to control as much as they can, the more states will try to leave. Especially when you have loons like Biden making up the ‘progressive’ laws. One size does not fit all.
Biden seems to like Taking control of postal Votes..
I can see why the US “progressive” federal machine would want to imitate Europe. As massive, sclerotic, unresponsive, micromanaging, pettifogging, bureaucratic monsters go, Brussels is the Viking.
You know that, I know that, but the “professional-managerial class” who vote Democrat, and the Labour voting upper middle class seem not to have noticed. For them, the sun shines out of Brussels.
It is all NWO, it is all planned. I wonder about the future, the MMT, how is it possible for so many to work so little, or at such low value jobs, but have such money to spend? UBI? Biden today has finalized into actually being paid, the $300 per month, per Child, free income – ON TOP OF ALL THE OTHER BENEFITS, and sold it to Congress as ‘Infrastructure Spending. Insanity.
The unemployment $300 per WEEK free (Additional to regular unemployment, an average unemployed person makes $17 an hour sitting at home in USA) money has stopped people from returning to jobs by the million, the huge increases in food stamps, and Everything, also increased for ‘Covid’ – it is insane. A Welfare single mother of a couple children makes more than I would, by not working, than if I worked full time.
Currently China, Vietnam, – everywhere, makes our stuff, and we give them un-backed, printed, Fiat money in exchange. So does the Eu, but not as bad. They work hard, and destroy their own environment that we may consume madly wile not working, and preserving our environment.
Either we are sleepwalking off a cliff, or Robots are going to do our jobs, and we stream more and more degenerate and stupid TV, wile getting legally high, and paid to not work.
Or the cliff is coming at us fast.
Joe Biden doesn’t know where he is. Whatever is going on in the White House, Fake President isn’t doing it.
He ,Biden is introducing ”Hate laws” similar to SNP in Scotland,Senile dictators dont age well
I doubt that Joe will have enough time to turn the US into the EU. He would have to somehow dispense with the US constitution and I don’t see that happening within two or even four years.
it won’t be for a lack of effort. The left has already outsourced censorship to big tech and parts of the media, and Biden has long since wanted to gut the Second Amendment.
As time goes on, the hit to personal pocketbooks will become apparent and suppressing dissent impossible. The election in 2022 will define Biden’s future, likely an attempt to undo the overreach now in progress. But that will come too late for 2024. As the masks come off, so will eyes open to the effort to redefine America.
Absolutely Biden would gut the second amendment in a heartbeat if he could. And he maybe can damage it but gutting it is out due to SCOTUS. And whatever he does in his executive capacity can be undone. He would need congress to do any real damage.
I am, I admit, looking in from the outside, but I think he’d gut the First Amendment, too, given half a chance.
Yes. He would. Democrats and progressives are both politically authoritarian.
Republicans Like Mitchell McConnell & Mitchell Romney are Equally big government ,Which is why trump refused them Cabinet Positions, he told Romney ‘You are too deceitful &slimy for Government”
Mitt Romney isn’t really a Republican. And yes, Trump didn’t trust him. McConnell wasn’t up for a cabinet position nor would he want one.
There are more than 100 million Americans who among themselves own more than a third of billion guns. We own something on the order of 20 million AR-15-style rifles, several times more than the number of M4 rifles issued to American soldiers. We own many tens of billions of rounds of ammunition for those guns.
Basically, there’s nothing American governments can do about this–there’s simply no practical way to “control” the guns owned by a hundred million people who refuse to be controlled and there’s no more a way to stop the importation of more guns and ammo than there is to stop the importation of endless varieties of drugs.
America is fracturing and it won’t take much to make that fracture official, and there’s no knowing how peaceful or violent would be. And any serious effort to gut or repeal the right of Americans to “keep and bear arms” could well be the trigger of that final fracturing.
Oh I don’t think Biden can take away guns or delete the 2nd amendment. But he would like to, that was my point.
Ms. Kralendijk–
The massive use of Executive Orders and the bureaucratic orders and revisions from the different federal departments can do a lot of harm. And, with the opposition party having become a personality cult, there will be not effective presidential opposition in 2024, so the damage will continue until 2028, at least; and even a GOP Congress will not be able to stop it.
Trump will probably still be alive in 2028.
And as long as he is, there wont be a GOP president.
We also heard there would not be a GOP president after Obama. These types of predictions tend not to age well.
Ms. Kralendijk–
After the 2008 election the GOP did not try to destroy itself. Just the opposite, in fact, as it re-built at the state level and ended up re-taking both houses of Congress.
With the self-destruction now taking place along with its morphing into an irrational personality cult, the gains in the House in 2020 along with the Senate seats up for grab in 2022 may be the sacrificial lambs for the cultists.
You may find this interesting: https://messaging-custom-newsletters.nytimes.com/template/oakv2?campaign_id=134&emc=edit_db_20210518&instance_id=31084&nl=debatable&productCode=DB®i_id=41157021&segment_id=58396&te=1&uri=nyt%3A%2F%2Fnewsletter%2F67e879cf-710f-5c57-88de-328e0f358d15&user_id=25fbfe2e8ba82085c9319c20acc0e27e
Just for fun who did you think is going to run on the Democratic ticket in 2024? Bernie? Kamala? How about Eric Swallwell?
the republicans have many more choices than the democrats do.
One would think that so many poorly aged predictions would stop folks from running into the buzzsaw again and again.
But the progressive overreach by Biden might well promote a genuine nostalgia for Trump, mightn’t they? In any event, Republicans seem less fixated on Trump’s presumed good than Democrats are by his alleged evil.
You are an ill informed twerp ..November 2022..Bidens making 10,000 oil Workers redundant & Petrol/diesel price hikes, immigration problems..he will lose mid Terms..Trumps successors can crowd out stadiums as Can trump.. Biden & Camela Harris are one term ,they wont be able to forge postal Votes next time..
Yes executive orders can do a lot of harm. They can also be undone as they do not carry over to the next administration unless that admin wants them. So whatever he does will simply be undone. This is what Obama never understood. Without congress, presidents cannot bind successive administrations.
i don’t find it likely that Biden can finish one term, much less two so I don’t worry much about that. I’m not sure why you say there won’t be any opposition running for president in 2024. If anything, the Republican Party has MORE viable candidates than the democrats. If the democrats had anyone else, would Joe Biden have been the nominee? While the republicans have lots of choices.
I’m happy to have SCOTUS review Biden’s executive orders. In fact, let’s do that.
Joe has dementia. Might as well face it. And he can’t hide in a basement in 2024.
The republicans have many more viable candidates than the democrats do. Biden won’t run again, he may not finish this term. But they can’t put him up if he has to be in public. Tell you what. Let’s say the democrats run Biden. And the repubs put up Ron DeSantis. Fair enough? I’ll even spot you Biden bowing out and give you Kamala for the democrats and DeSantis for the repubs. Deal?
You’re an idiot,Biden has Alzheimers,and neuro issues he could like FDR die in office around 2023,when people how useless harris is,they’ll turn back to republicans
Genau. I noticed immediately how the U.S. was following the same policies Germany has been following.
My guess is that the recent grad school graduate “experts” from McKinsey Consulting are re-selling the same playbook to U.S. government department heads, like they did for Ursula v.d. Leyen’s rotating departments in German government, as well as for other German government departments.
(Yes, even down to making sure that trans- and other women have maternity soldier uniforms, prioritizing important strategic decisions. ;- ) From Bismarck to v.d. Leyen. lololol!
Mr. Delszsen–
I can not think of a bigger oxymoron than a trans-women needing a maternity uniform. It is the utmost in absurdity and belongs in a Monte Python routine.
One big difference. The German public is much more accepting of government diktats than Americans are. Don’t forget that we are very very unused to being told what to do. Germans expect to be told and they follow rules much better even when they don’t agree.
Ms. Kralendijk–
I might have agreed with you until 2020. The widespread acceptance of poorly justified diktats about modifying behavior because of Covid showed that, when coupled with media-driven fear, we Americans behave like all humans over the globe.
On the contrary, not only did much of the the public stop listening to the Biden admin and the CDC but state governors did as well. Don’t you remember the “impending doom” scenario just a few weeks ago after Texas and Florida refused government diktat? No, we don’t follow orders well. Fortunately. Blue states like federal government orders better than red states but even in blue states you have lots of people keeping their businesses open in defiance of diktats. You would not see that in Germany.
The federal government in Germany has much tighter control than the US federal government does. There are no positions comparable in power and authority to US governors.
In a federal environment of ‘big’ issues, labour unions will come to the fore. Once labour unions get very strong they are very difficult to push out. The Left likes unions. Unions are a sort of ‘government in reserve’.
If, by chance, the peoples’ vote moves to the Right, to populist politicians like, perhaps, Trump, the reserve government, the unions, can step up and make a noise and try to reverse the decisions or, at least make them difficult to implement. This works best in France when the President will reverse his decision if the unions get involved.
This also explains why the UK Labour Party has to re-join Europe, to interlock labour unions to create an undefeatable reserve government. This also explains why woke will win. Whatever a Tory government tries to do, the teachers, firemen and civil servants will seek to change it, modify it or ensure that it will not work properly.
People can only change things if they are in a position to change things.
When AI has taken their position away, the ability to change things goes away too.
There are millions all over the world, and especially the West who, one suspects, are in for a rude awakening.
The meek WILL inherit the earth, today we call them AI programmers.
Biden is simply spending cash he doesn’t have to pacify a large quantity of people who are going to be really disappointed shortly.
Surely if AI works AI programmers are redundant. Like turkeys manufacturing ovens.
Ironically, Biden’s first executive order was to shutter the Keystone Pipeline project, which directly smacked union people in the face. As a bonus, it impacted Canadians, too. And unions as a whole are not looking good here what with the teachers’ unions in some locations putting up every obstacle they can imagine to prevent returning to the classroom.
Yes, unions in the US these days don’t have the power that unions do in most of the EU. Way fewer Americans are union members. In France, unions run things.
This is a weird discussion. The US isn’t anything like the EU. Nor is it like, or attracted to, either Russia or China. Bureaucracy is the price any large system pays for being large, and that’s what GlobCap wants, and will almost certainly get, while we proles fight one another in phony culture wars.
We worry about turning into you, too.
As long as you don’t have a Constitution like that of the US, have no fear.
Don’t know that much about it to be honest, but thinking about asking Prince Harry for his opinions to enlighten me.
Harry doesn’t have much experience with a truly free press. The press in Britain is far more regulated, it has far less freedom. It would be weird for him for the press to be able to say pretty much whatever it wanted to.
Thanks for Taking Harry &meAgain .makes up for 1776…
we’ve kicked out bigger royals than Harry. Might have to again.
This writer doesn’t understand even the basics of Europe.
The US has already gone a long way to gutting its constitution. For example , the federal nature of your system has been effectively destroyed when the central gov’t can determine how your public elementary schools are run (No Child Left Behind) or the various details of your colleges.
It was as simple as ABC. The federal government collected taxes from the people in the states and then offered to give some of that money back to the states or school boards or colleges etc. if they agreed to follow federally set rules.
Our federal government in Canada started down that road in the 1950’s but the provincial governments revolted in the 1960’s and the feds then gave them the money unconditionally and agreed that there would be no more such programs.
When the federal government claims a right to determine who can use which washrooms in college gyms, it may be time for a similar revolt in the USA.
“…Joe Biden has already sought to federalise many functions — from zoning to labour laws to education — that historically have been under local control.”
It’s not just “historical” local control. Under the US Constitution, the federal government is categorically denied the power to exercise any power not explicitly granted in the Constitution, but violating the Constitution seems to be a matter of indifference to the Left.
Yesterday, driving through the Bronx on the way to a completely unregulated house party in Long Island where anything goes, we noticed gasoline was $4.99. While we, meaning our group of rebels, has been partying straight through the UK style lockdown in NYC, it has been difficult to convince most “short thinkers”that they might want to at least ponder the effects of voting for Biden simply because they were told to and they disliked Trump personally. Expensive gas and food will now do the talking for us.
Solid analysis, especially by juxtaposing cCon (Centralized Control) and dCon (Decentralized Control). America’s success is because we are a dCon country. cCon systems, such as the middling cCon of the EU, let alone the severe cCon of China, lead to less prosperity and less happiness. The same is happening to America as Biden and the 2021 Dems push for more and more cCon.
Economic Control theory, aka eCon, explains explores this in detail.
Elections have consequences.
And as long as Trump is alive, the GOP will never regain the White House.
Liz and a few others are the only ones that understand the problem.
Yes and Republicans would never win after Clinton and after Obama. Yawn. We have heard it all before.