Point 5: Here again Alexander makes compelling case for the positive role that philanthropy can play in addressing govt. failure. All u need are a few big hits & private philanthropy as a system can justify itself.
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Yet he fails to appreciate that public scrutiny of philanthropy, including a democratic critique, is one of the best ways to encourage those hits, in my opinion.
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Also, his critique of govt spending is premised on precisely the pol economy that’s produced so many billionaire donors; a different, more progressive one, in which billionaires had less $, & public had more faith in public institutions, would led govt to spend diff on margins.
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That being said, I think this is an argument that we need to take more seriously & think/write more about: “on the margin an extra dollar given to a charity will do more good than that same dollar given to the government.”
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Point 6: If Alexander read
@robreich’s book, he’d note that Rob actually notes democracy’s tendency to meet the needs of the median voter & to ignore those on the extremes, and allows for a legitimate role for philanthropy to play in addressing those needs.1 reply 0 retweets 3 likesShow this thread -
But this role is best performed self-consciously, in the shadow of the democratic critique. Rob's book is evidence that a robust critique of philanthropy is compatible w/ a defense, even a celebration of philanthropy.
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Also, it's worth pointing out that current distrust of govt is a deliberate artifact of right-wing policies over the last few decades. It is itself the product of philanthropy and can be addressed with philanthropy. It’s not some natural constant.
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Taking a quick break for some quotes from the actual blog post that make the point abt how Alexander *feels* wrt to philanthropist vs. elected representatives.pic.twitter.com/barnAD6rPf
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But this actually raises an important point for critics of philanthropy on democratic grounds to grapple with. In the real life, as opposed to abstract theorizing, it’s not always clear when philanthropy can claim democratic prerogatives and that should chasten us.
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Is philanthropic funding of the “Resistance” democratic? Sure, but not to the other side.
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I had no idea he wrote this essay and then I was like, of course he wrote this essay. 
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