Your ‘Robber Baron,’ My American Hero

IN terms of blunders, it’s not quite launching a land war in Southeast Asia, but one would still be well-advised not to rely on Nancy Pelosi for lessons on history or economics. “We are living in a new era of robber barons,” the woman-who-would-be-Speaker proclaimed recently. “The American consumer is paying record prices, while oil companies make record profits and make record contributions to Republicans.”

Ah, the Robber Barons: those bloodylipped ghouls preying on the downtrodden. Clearly using the Liberal Field Guide to Spotting a Robber Baron, Pelosi mentions three keys to spotting one in the wild. First, the consumer-a.k.a. “the little guy”-is having a rough time. Second, some rich people-a.k.a. “fat cats”-are making some extra coin. And third, Republicans-a.k.a. “the focus of evil”-are benefiting in the process.

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Jonah Goldberg

Jonah Goldberg is a National Review contributing editor.

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IN terms of blunders, it’s not quite launching a land war in Southeast Asia, but one would still be well-advised not to rely on Nancy Pelosi for lessons on history or economics. “We are living in a new era of robber barons,” the woman-who-would-be-Speaker proclaimed recently. “The American consumer is paying record prices, while oil companies make record profits and make record contributions to Republicans.”

Ah, the Robber Barons: those bloodylipped ghouls preying on the downtrodden. Clearly using the Liberal Field Guide to Spotting a Robber Baron, Pelosi mentions three keys to spotting one in the wild. First, the consumer-a.k.a. “the little guy”-is having a rough time. Second, some rich people-a.k.a. “fat cats”-are making some extra coin. And third, Republicans-a.k.a. “the focus of evil”-are benefiting in the process.