The Problem With Elites

The U.S. is the wealthiest and most admired country in the world, says Julian Zelizer. But after about 20 or 30 years of being top dog undisputed, you start to think "We did great," he says. It usually creeps up on elites because it takes generations for a country to displace the previous dominant power, writes Zelizer. And then they get so intellectually lazy that they forget what went into making your country wealthy and admired, he adds.