Biden's Participation Trophy Brigade: The Failure of Ancien Régime Restoration

Liz Cheney, Hillary Clinton, and George Soros

Faced with an impending defeat, President Joe Biden is handing out accolades to a dwindling establishment, reinforcing the notion of a failed restoration.

Among the honorees are Liz Cheney, Hillary Clinton, and George Soros, figures who represent the tenacity of the old order that has repeatedly failed Americans.

Bourbon Nostalgia

Historian David Rubenstein aptly notes that the Bourbon monarchy of old France "learned nothing and forgot nothing" after their overthrow.

Similarly, the Democratic establishment, despite the lessons of 2016 and 2020, remains wedded to an outdated system that has created a gaping chasm between the party and the electorate.

A Failed Establishment

Biden's awards to establishment icons underscore his commitment to reviving a failed orthodoxy that ignores the anti-system rage prevalent in American politics.

The "pox on both houses" sentiment that has fueled Donald Trump's ascendancy is powered by disillusionment with the political elite, of which Biden's award recipients are prominent representatives.

Trump's Redemption

By presenting the choice as Biden or the establishment, the president unwittingly aids Trump's return to power.

Trump's antiestablishment rhetoric resonates with Americans who feel disenfranchised by a system that has long neglected their needs.

The Urgent Task

To counter this demagoguery, the left must embrace a politics of economic populism, organizing the anti-system rage of the American people.

Biden's illusions of restoration must be consigned to the dustbin of history, alongside the failed Bourbon monarchy of old.

Additional Insights

"We live, as I've repeatedly insisted, in an age of anti-system politics."

- Jeet Heer, National Affairs Correspondent for The Nation

"The struggle against racism is ongoing... all the more so with Trump's returning to the White House."

- Excerpt from the article