All of the presidential candidates are actively and shamelessly contributing to growing inequality. Hillary maybe does it a bit less, which is one reason I like her.
Inequality grows in proportion to how many people have accepted that the technological revolution is irreversible and how many are still hoping it will somehow magically go away. The former constitute a minority and are figuring out how to inscribe themselves into the present and the future. The latter are hiding from the unpleasant reality behind vapid fantasies that there is some law, some presidential decree, some decision that a benign, all-powerful authority can make to ensure that the world never moves past 1973. The longer they inhabit this fantasy world, the greater is the gap between them and those who have moved on, both metaphorically and literally.
I don’t believe that the presidential candidates are promising to bring back the past out of a consciously evil “let’s dupe the rubes” attitude. Rather, this is a result of inertia and indifference. “I’ll bring back the nation-state and manufacturing jobs” is just what you say for voters to like you. And since none of the candidates is young, their inclination to dwell on the future is limited.
Of course, history is stronger than politics, and the past is dead and gone. Voters will not see any of these promises fulfilled. They will only fall behind as they wait for fantasy to become reality. This will only make them more disaffected, lost, angry, and distrustful.
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