America’s New Gilded Age Redefines the Land of Opportunity
From welcoming “the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” a new America is focused on the idea of building camps for illegal immigrants, labeled en masse as criminals and rapists.
Despite being presented with a vision of joy, hope and optimism by the Harris campaign, millions of voters chose the dystopian darkness of President-elect Trump’s vision of America as a failed state and economy.
Although, I wrote prior to November 5 that the election was a reminder to communicators that our power to persuade in a polarized political landscape is more limited than we might like to believe, the opposite conclusion can also be argued.
That voters shifted Trump-ward or chose not to vote, with full-knowledge of his past actions and autocratic leanings, underscores the power of his charisma and messaging to overcome what would normally be insurmountable hurdles to elected office. As one sign in New York’s Hudson Valley read, “We may not like Trump, but we need him.” David Brooks’ recent opinion piece in The New York Times details the upending of voting norms.
The appeal of the soon-to-be president among the working classes, many of whom can likely trace their ancestors to Ellis Island, reflects another great historical reversal. Today, for many, it seems billionaires are the saviors of the working class and the government is the enemy of the people.
The idea of a new Gilded Age should be a warning, not a clarion call. If we go back to history books or Netflix documentaries, we will be reminded that during the first Gilded Age, the country was largely run by the so called “robber barons,” J.P. Morgan, Rockefeller and Carnegie. As they amassed fortunes, working Americans endured appalling living conditions and many starved.
And, in an echo of present-day discussions, they wanted the government to use the army on American soil to crush coal miners in the 1902 strike for better pay and wages. Theodore Roosevelt, a president with a common touch and guided by the idea that all Americans should have equal opportunity for success, stood up to the billionaires of his generation. His vision was of a government strong enough to represent the people and laws used to protect all Americans, not just a few.
Roosevelt saw first-hand the disdain the richest Americans had for the poorest. He fought for working Americans as strongly as he fought in the boxing ring.
America’s journey over the last century, like Joseph Conrad’s protagonist in “The Heart of Darkness,” has been tortuous. While some see an America lost in a jungle of lies, misinformation and the shadows of a world shaped by wealthy plutocrats, others see a new revolution in which breaking things is a feature not a bug.
The Orwellian transformation of the perception of billionaires from demons to saviors and the government from champions of the people to the enemy, is a milestone in America’s story.
Will the pendulum of opinion swing back if the new Gilded Age is not accompanied by lower inflation, interest rates and reduced disparities in income and opportunity? It may be optimistic to believe that Reagan’s vision of America as a shining city on a hill and Teddy Roosevelt’s idea of a “square deal” for all will prevail. Especially, when the levers of power in government, society and over the media are wielded by those motivated by self-interest and ideology.
Over the next four years the economic truths for working Americans of policy changes will become self-evident. Time will provide a clearer sense of whether the great reversal of American opinion on issues including immigration, billionaires and the government is here to stay.
