"Leaders today do not believe their job is to restrain popular will. Their job is to flatter and satisfy it. A gigantic polling apparatus has developed to help leaders anticipate and respond to popular whims. Democratic politicians adopt the mind-set of marketing executives. Give the customer what he wants. The customer is always right."
Although I agree with David Brooks' point, I don't agree with his underlying premise of human nature! It is convenient to argue on the basis of a Hobbesian view of human nature, when what's at the basis of the current crisis, the worshiping of neoliberal reforms since the early 1970s. The selective memory loss of commentators such as David Brooks who in the past praised Milton Friedman's arguments of taking the state out, can not blame human nature for the fact that the economy dominates society. Michael Sandel’s new book, “What Money Can’t Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets,” is a good counterpoint as argued by Thomas Friedman's column from last Sunday, This Column Is Not Sponsored by Anyone .
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