Cenk Uygur: preference

Transcript context

…You believe that the people will be able to find the right policies to regulate and tax the corporations such that capitalism can flourish still? Yes. You know why? Because I’m a real populist, and I believe in the people. So, I drive the establishment crazy because they don’t believe in the people. They think, “Oh, have you seen MAGA? Have you seen these guys? Have you seen the radicals on the left? We’re so much smarter. You know how many Ivy League degrees we have? We know what we’re doing.” No, you don’t. No, everybody to some degree looks out for their own interests. Why I like capitalism and why I love democracy is because it’s the wisdom of the crowd. So, in the long run, the crowd is right. Oftentimes in the short term, we’re wrong. But the wisdom of the crowd in the long run is much, much better than the elites that run things. The elites say, “Well, we’re so smart and educated, so we’re going to know better what’s good for you.” No, brother. You’re going to know what’s better for you. So, here’s something that a lot of people get wrong on the populist left and right. They think, “Oh, those guys are evil.” They’re not evil. I’ve met them. I worked at MSNBC, I worked on cable, I went to Wharton, Columbia Law, et cetera. I know a lot of those guys. So, they’re not at all evil. They don’t even know that they’re mainly serving their own interests. They just naturally do it. So, they think the carried interest loophole makes a lot of sense. They think corporate tax cuts makes a lot of sense. You not getting higher wages, you not having healthcare, it makes a lot of sense. It doesn’t make any goddamn sense, but they get themselves to believe it. That’s another portion of the invisible hand of the market. So there’s problems with every path. So, the elite, like you mentioned, can be corrupted by greed, by power, and so on. But the crowd, I agree with you, by the way, about the wisdom of the crowd versus the wisdom of the elite, but the crowd can be captured by a charismatic leader. I’m probably a populist myself. The problem with populism is that it can’t be and has been throughout history captured by bad people.…

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