And the Jacobin conundrum--hierarchy, leadership,  and control within idealized perceptions of equality remain at the center, the justification for which remains a central element of democracies whether in the form of "brain trust" techno-bureaucratic democracy, traditional populism (irrespective of its ideological tilts), or any of the forms of vanguardism--either progressive  (that is progressing toward some eventual ideal state) or otherwise--remains at the core… [read post]