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Legal Commentary

American Feudalism

By Big Tent Democrat (index)

Dan Riehl (and to a lesser extent James Joyner), miss the point Glenn Greenwald was making in his post American Royalty. Indeed, I have used a different title, American Feudalism to describe the phenomenon, because I think it is more descriptive of what Glenn is talking about.

My reading of Glenn is not that he thinks conservative nepotism is the problem, but rather the absurd view espoused by conservatives that America is some pure meritocracy. And it is not limited to celebrity journalists and political pundits. It extends to everyone. Who your parents are, what they provide you, where you come from, all has a huge effect on the opportunities life provides you. It is true for me and it is true for you. And of course it is true for Luke Russert and Jonah Goldberg and Jesse Jackson, Jr.

On a more general basis, it is true for white men versus African Americans, women, Latinos and other minorities. It is the denial of this obvious truth that Glenn is driving at. He uses celebrity examples to drive this point home. Riehl and Joyner get bogged down in the relative merits of particular examples of nepotism. Hell, they left out the most obvious liberal ones - FDR and Teddy Kennedy. The difference is I doubt very much FDR and Teddy Kennedy would have denied the advantages they were given. Conservative beneficiaries of American Feudalism deny it every day.

Speaking for me only

Full post as published by TalkLeft on August 31, 2009 (boomark / email).