"In sum, Democratic socialism is a top-down movement run by insulated elites who have little understanding of—or genuine interest in—the lives of millions of ordinary Americans living outside the walls of their parochial cloisters."
"Who are the so-called Democratic Socialists of America and their fellow travelers?
"While it is difficult to generalize, many current and would-be socialist officeholders share several common traits.
"Most of them represent a relatively small slice of American life. Almost all are urban, with little knowledge of small-town or rural existence.
"Their world is subways, buses, high-rises, Uber, taxis, and proximity to corporate, academic, and financial institutions—yet often with little understanding of where their food, fuel, water, or everyday goods originate, or where their waste and sewage ultimately go.
"Their worldview is shaped more by consumption than production, as though goods simply arrive in and depart from cities on autopilot.
"A disproportionate number of our most prominent radicals are either first- or second-generation immigrants, most originating from failed or illiberal states in what was once called the Third World.
"They or their parents left their homelands in search of wealthier countries, fairer societies, greater opportunity, and, in many cases, safety and freedom.
"Yet once here, many of their families have prospered, often aided by extensive educational and institutional support from the generous American host.
"Few have even tried to explain the paradox of fleeing failed states, only to become virulent critics of the charitable nation that they chose to join.
"Many are college-educated, often with degrees in fields that did not translate into the professional pathways they believed they were entitled to.
"They are often glib but otherwise poorly educated. Few possess any real grounding in history, literature, or the STEM fields.
"Most of their major and minor courses of study are in the social sciences—political science, sociology, psychology, community relations, and the like—or the infamous “studies” programs.
"When they graduate from left-wing universities, they emerge strikingly arrogant and ignorant at once. As elite radical egalitarians, they proudly brandish their degrees and constantly reference their university training. Yet for all the time and money poured into college during what were supposed to be the best years of their lives, prolonged adolescence and bitterness appear epidemic among the new young socialists.
"In college, they rubbed elbows with leftist elites—wealthy students, tenured professors, and lavishly paid administrators. " . . . More...
