by Nicholas Stehle
July 16, 2015
If Republicans are “backward” and “opposed to progress,” why is it that Hillary Clinton, like much of the left generally, is attacking Uber?
From National Review:
The ride-sharing service is synonymous with the new efficiency and convenience enabled by information technology, and is anathema to regulators and entrenched interests everywhere. Add to the list of its critics the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
Hillary Clinton didn’t mention Uber by name but warned about the disruption caused by it and other companies in the so-called sharing economy. Her husband wanted to build a bridge to the 21st century; Hillary worries about the downsides of “advances in technology and expanding global trade.”
Mrs. Clinton may not understand Uber, but it’s more likely she realizes the startup represents an existential threat to entrenched incumbent taxi cab companies and their powerful unions and lobbying organizations — nearly all of whom depend on Democrats for their political power and fill Democrat coffers with their union dues.
Like most socialists, Hillary Clinton and her allies benefit mightily from their allegedly altruistic regulatory schemes. Some call this “crony capitalism,” but there’s nothing capitalistic about it: it’s just feudalism. And while Democrats like to pretend they are “progressive,” from Bill Clinton’s ludicrous antitrust suit against Microsoft to Hillary’s impending assault on Uber, the words and the deeds are very different.