A trait I have been seeing with increasing frequency comes almost entirely from speakers on the political Left when giving a politically-based speech: joining with the audience in applauding their own words! Hillary and Barack have both engaged in this bit of self-congratulatory behavior, and I have also seen it – via C-SPAN – by college commencement speakers. Does this reflect an awareness that state socialism is so bankrupt and unattractive to thoughtful people that speakers must also be cheerleaders? Shall we next see “applause” signs – or, perhaps, recorded sounds of applause – at rallies, commencement ceremonies, etc.?

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