Even More

From the same portion of the Uncommon Knowledge interview of Thomas Sowell:

Peter Robinson: Back to Barack Obama. You mentioned the, uh . . . I think you would call it a naive view of world affairs. That he places a great deal of faith in rhetoric, the ability of rhetoric to solve global problems. This reminds you of the 1930's, it reminds you of Neville Chamberlain. I read you a quotation, the notion of "spreading the wealth around" and again you said that's perfectly pure Socialist doctrine from the 1930's. Is it . . . Would you argue that this man is the most leftwing, or the uh, purest embrace of the Unconstrained Vision that we've seen in American politics since . . . since when? Since the New Deal?

Thomas Sowell: Since there's been an American politics.

Robinson: Really?

Sowell: Yes. Yes, I mean, even FDR you know pulled back on some things. But Obama really, he does have the Unconstrained Vision which is really an elitist vision that says "I know what is the best to be done, and I will do it." When he says "I will change the world" you realize this is a man who's actually accomplished nothing other than advancing his career through rhetoric. And it reminds me of a sophomore in college, you know, who thinks that he can run the world, because he's never had to run anything. And you can believe that only until you have personal responsibility for consequences, and that's when it gives you a little bit of humility.

Robinson: Why don't the American people see through that? Isn't that the fundamental bet that the Founders made, that the, that voters would see through, ultimately they'd see through nonsense?

Sowell: Yes, but that was before nonsense became a large part of the curriculum of our educational institutions.

Again, absolutely. Absolutely.

Now, read this.