Commander Kelly: Nietzsche on the 2016 election

Friedrich Nietzsche

Nietzsche was an astonishing prophet on many topics. In a note written in 1885, Friedrich Nietzsche foretold the American Presidential election of 2016...

Sanders: "the poisonous and desperate face of American Socialism"

"Socialism--as the logical conclusion of the tyranny of the least and the
dumbest, i. e., those who are superficial, envious, and three-quarters
actors-is indeed entailed by "modern ideas" and their latent anarchism;
but in the tepid air of democratic well-being the capacity to reach
conclusions, or to finish, weakens. One follows --but one no longer sees
what follows. Therefore socialism is on the whole a hopeless and sour
affair; and nothing offers a more amusing spectacle than the contrast
between the poisonous and desperate faces cut by today's socialists--and
to what wretched and pinched feelings their style bears witness! --and
the harmless lambs' happiness of their hopes and desiderata (CRK adds..."FREE COLLEGE!").
Nevertheless, in many places in Europe they may yet bring off occasional
coups and attacks: there will be deep "rumblings" in the stomach of the
next century, and the Paris commune, which has its apologists and
advocates in Germany, too, was perhaps no more than a minor indigestion
compared to what is coming (CRK adds...The Russian Revolution of 1917 would "rumble" the Tsar and his family).

Trump: "One must possess something in order to be something."
The "poorly educated" want development too!

But there will always be too many who have possessions for socialism to signify more than an attack of sickness — and those who have possessions are of one mind on one article of faith:
"one must possess something in order to be something." But this is the
oldest and healthiest of all instincts: I should add, "one must want to
have more than one has in order to become more." For this is the
doctrine preached by life itself to all that has life: the morality of
development (CRK adds..the morality of developers too!). To have and to want to have more--growth, in one word--that is life itself (CRK adds..."More winning!").

In the doctrine of socialism there is hidden, rather badly, a "will to negate life"; the human beings or races that think up such a doctrine must be bungled. Indeed, I should wish that a few great
experiments might prove that in a socialist society life negates itself,
cuts off its own roots. The earth is large enough and man still
sufficiently unexhausted; hence such a practical instruction and
demonstratio ad absurdum (CRK adds...demonstration or proof of absurdity) would not strike me as undesirable, even if it were gained and paid for with a tremendous expenditure of human lives (CRK adds...How many victims of Socialism in the 20th century "felt the burn"? The Black Book of Communism estimates around 100 million victims of collectivism in the 20th century www.amzn.com/0674076087).

Hillary Clinton: "The Marasmus Femininus" that threatens America?
Delayed by Bernie?

In any case, even as a restless mole under the soil of a society that
wallows in stupidity, socialism will be able to be something useful and
therapeutic: it delays "peace on earth" and the total mollification of
the democratic herd animal; it forces the Europeans to retain spirit,
namely cunning and cautious care, not to abjure manly and warlike
virtues altogether, and to retain some remnant of spirit, of clarity,
sobriety, and coldness of the spirit- it protects Europe for the time
being from the marasmus femininus (CRK..."feminine decay or atrophy") that threatens it."

(Source: The Will to Power, Friedrich Nietzsche, www.amzn.com/0394704371)

Nietzsche could see around time's corners. American voters this fall will likely face a stark choice between a grasping vulgarian, on one hand, and "feminine decay" on the other. Unless a Superman emerges, we are witnessing a new electoral Birth of Tragedy as we cannot seem to move Beyond the Lesser of two Evils. Thus Spake the Commander!