Down with “Hamilton”

Hamilton 2 copyBack in April I noted that the liberal culturati were unhappy over the success of the Broadway smash Hamilton, precisely because its multiracial cast and hip-hop format don’t conform to or reinforce the identity politics frame of the Left. Broadway is making a capitalist dead white guy look cool! Horrors!

With Hamilton dominating the Tony Awards show last night, the New York Times returned to the theme as if to say “You didn’t get it the first time so let us hit you again.” An op-ed article by Jason Frank and Isaac Kramnick of Cornell University complain about Hamilton in ways that unwittingly reveal some great examples of the lack of self-awareness among today’s Left. Like this:

Mr. Miranda’s depiction of Hamilton as resourceful immigrant and talented self-made man captures an important aspect of his character. But the musical avoids an equally pronounced feature of Hamilton’s beliefs: his deeply ingrained elitism, his disdain for the lower classes and his fear of democratic politics. . .  Hamilton mistrusted the political capacities of the common people and insisted on deference to elites.

Heh. Today it is liberals who have a “deeply ingrained elitism, disdain for the lower classes, and fear of democratic politics.”

But wait! There’s more!

Hamilton, with his contemptuous attitude toward the lower classes, was perfectly comfortable with the inegalitarian and antidemocratic implications of his economic vision.

Again, just like today’s liberals, who want to rule ever more through executive action and unaccountable bureaucracy. Not to mention a Democratic Party that has more or less openly decided to turn its back on the working class in favor of coastal elites.

Somehow I doubt Frank and Kramnick will become the successors to Rodgers and Hammerstein.

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