The sluggish economy, combined with the failure of the political class, has does more than put people out of work. Another result is that for the time being, the two dominant sentiments among the population are no longer liberal and conservative, but leftist and nativist.
In some respects, there is less difference between these two sentiments than one would think. Both pour fuel on class envy; both share an enthusiasm for crony capitalism; each accuses the other one of doing so.
Considering what happened the last time the West saw this configuration, the portents are not encouraging. But men are not leaves in blind winds. Let us try to think clearly.