What will emerge from the American Metamorphosis?

The changes currently taking place in America are happening at deep levels. These changes will affect the whole world. Some people are hopeful about the changes. Some are very pessimistic. Some are waiting to see what happens.

Victor Davis Hanson has posted a piece which includes a lot of ideas to ponder carefully. He proposes that America is now in a sort of cocoon stage. He talks about some of the ironic and the unintended consequences of the transformations now underway: First, there are the unexpected changes being forced upon Europe:

As I wrote, a keen Frenchman whispered to me at a reception “There is room for only one to play Obama-and we are already Obama.”

Then there are dramatic changes in our relationships with Latin American nations:

Consider: the U.S. reacted quickly and meddled unambiguously in condemning the Honduran arrest of President Zelaya.

And dramatic expansions in the power of government functionaries at home. The most interesting quote to me:

Obama has surrounded himself with legions of ‘fixers.’ Bright men and women who have Ivy League law degrees, business school credentials, PhDs in the social sciences, and academic pedigrees in science, humanities, and engineering. Quite impressive, these Platonic Guardians of the soon to be perfect state. But most of their careers in finance, government, business, and academia have been well-paid jobs critiquing, administering, regulating, nuancing, writing about, and hectoring those who create things–builders, developers, industrialists, farmers, truckers, transportation execs, retailers, lenders and investors.

We are being run now by film critics, not directors, book reviewers not writers, music columnists, not musicians. And it is far easier to fault than to birth, nuance rather than build. The irony is that the muscular classes carry the regulating and talking classes on their backs. They don’t mind being whipped occasionally and even bridled, but like any good mule will suddenly stop and no longer move when they feel the rider either does not know where he is going, or is going to kill the mule with his switch, spurs, and yanking on the bit. (Emphasis mine)

Read the whole thing. Think about it.

Update: Tigerhawk puts a number to the part of the economy Obama wants to restructure from Washington, with his legions of elite "fixers", HE WANTS TO DO IT ALL THIS SUMMER. Hubris. But Tigerhawk's number did not account for the automotive industry. (Follow the links for a look at the bright young "fixer" Obama has put in charge of GM). The auto industry brings the number to 39%.