George Soros, Abject Failure?

In her new biography of that old left-wing moneybags/Zion-loather/control freak George Soros, Anna Porter really wanted to conclude that his having invested gazillions of dollars in "progressive" causes has had a positive--or even any--impact on the world. But, as the Toronto Star's Carol Goar writes, that wasn't Porter's take-away:

...as a biographer, she was hard-headed in her assessment. Liberal democracy is eroding around the world, as corporate values supplant the participation of citizens in national decision-making. Human rights are in decline; autocratic regimes now surpass the number of governments that respect the rule of law, freedom of the press and human rights. The European Union, which Soros worked so hard to foster and sustain, is riven by debt and inequality. The Arab Spring ended in heartbreak. The International Criminal Court has accomplished very little. Even in the realm of mega-giving, Porter could find little evidence that his values had taken root. “Soros’s philosophy is still not taken seriously,” she concluded. 

Moreover, his lavish lifestyle, his lack of accountability to anyone but himself and the top-down operation of his foundation have left Soros open to charges of hypocrisy. 

Porter concludes sadly that very little of what Soros has built — or bought — in the last 20 years will survive him. Changing humanity is too ambitious a task for even a fabulously wealthy, ideologically driven philanthrocapitalist.

Porter and Goar may be sad about it. I, on the other hand, am not. In fact, I'm delighted that money couldn't buy him what he wants. That said, perhaps Porter is underestimating Soros's influence. After all, his open wallet is at least partially responsible for bringing us Barack H. Obama, the most "progressive" president in American history, and a man whose Sorosian vision has made a real hash of things both at home and abroad.