| Yet Again The Old (Very Old) Truths Hold True |  |
By John Freivalds
JFA Press
Alas history, even ancient history repeats itself.
Yet Again The Old (Very Old) Truths Hold True
Every Presidential election cycle finds politicians like Sanders and Warren saying what they think is new only to find out later is the same old (very old) truths, and that they destroyed what they were campaigning for in the first place.
Witness the Democratic debates where acerbic Bernie Sanders and bellicose Elizabeth Warren took turns trying to destroy Michael Bloomberg. Bloomberg is a commonsense, ok boring as well, business guy who used his wits to build an information empire. And he got wealthy doing so and Sanders even intimated that he paid his employees Bangladesh levels wages to get where he is; just another rapacious capitalist. But both forgot that the end game was to defeat Donald Trump but not belittle Bloomberg. In so doing they made Trump look stronger.
Old Truth Number 1. The enemy of your enemy is your friend (4th century BC). According to the Ancient History Encyclopedia this truth originated in the Sanskrit Arthashastra.
Ignoring the lessons of history, they treated Bloomberg as if he was one of Trump's minions when in the end, they would need his stature if not his money and dislike of Trump. Few people can compete with Trump as a showman and hustler who creates huge spectacles and catchy slogans to uplift the downtrodden and bedazzle social media.
Adolf Hitler was much the same. He was one who practiced speaking and gesticulating in front of mirrors. He would attract huge crowds who would gather in immense stadiums wearing swastika arm bands and waving Nazi flags. And he invoked German pride in the slogan "Deutschland Über Alles"- Germany above all others. This not too dissimilar from Trump's Keep America Great. And the bogey men for Hitler were the rest of the world and internally the Jews, Poles and Slavs. Trump only loves autocrats like him and has no love for immigrants be they Latinos, Muslims or Africans. This is the real enemy that has to be defeated not Michael Bloomberg.
During World War II US President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill both distrusted the Soviet Union's Joseph Stalin but they had to make him an ally to defeat Nazi Germany.
Old Truth Number 2. Don't win battles if they cost you winning the war. Pyrrhic Wars 280 BC.
During the Pyrrhic Wars a Greek army defeated the Romans in 280 BC but suffered irreplaceable losses. According to the book J. Pyrrus King of Epeius the Greek General's comments were reportedly "another victory like this and we shall be undone."
Sanders and Warren could have well defeated Bloomberg in the debates and his quest for the DNC nomination by making him made him look foolish. But at what cost? He has common sense and funds but you probably took him out of the race. There is no way that either one can defeat Trump as they are considered "socialists". This is anathema to Americans even though our system allows for many socialist principles. This will be a repeat of 1972 when Liberal George McGovern was beyond clobbered by Richard Nixon.
Worse, Sanders and Warren have so radicalized their followers (my way or the highway) that they will not go out and vote for whoever is left as the candidate. Presidential candidates are supposed to offer vision for the future. Not a repeat of ancient history.
John Freivalds studied ancient history at Georgetown and George Washington Universities where he earned degrees.