In an opinion piece published Tuesday on American Thinker, retired U.S. diplomat Stephen Helgesen draws a pointed historical parallel: the appeal of American socialism in 2026, he argues, is not unlike the pitch of a 19th-century con man who repeatedly ‘sold’ the Brooklyn Bridge to gullible buyers.
Helgesen, who spent 25 years in the foreign service under four presidents and now lives in Denmark, writes that Americans are ‘looking for love in all the wrong places’ when it comes to politics — and that the current romance with socialism is the latest example.
The con man’s playbook
Helgesen invokes George Parker, a professional swindler in 1880s New York who claimed to own landmarks like the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, and Madison Square Garden. Parker’s scheme worked, Helgesen notes, because he followed a simple formula: assert authority, emphasize scarcity, appeal to greed, and gain trust. He was eventually caught and died in prison in 1936.
Fast forward to today, Helgesen argues, and a new generation of politicians is using the same playbook — but with a different commodity. Instead of a bridge, he says, they are selling a vision of wealth redistribution and ‘liberation’ from the costs of services like transportation and child care.
A new cast of characters
Helgesen points to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whom he calls a ‘rising star of American socialism,’ along with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Abdul El Sayed, who recently won the Democratic nomination for a U.S. Senate seat in Michigan. He describes them as ‘young and personable’ and ‘good con men/women’ who exude moral authority, stress the scarcity of wealth due to inequality, and appeal to voters’ sense of grievance.
‘Not since the Great Depression have so many aspects of economic, political and cultural life in America come together to create a perfect storm of opportunity for socialists as now in 2026,’ Helgesen writes, noting that the midterm elections are just eleven weeks away.
Why now?
Helgesen argues that these politicians are succeeding because they offer a simpler, more palatable message than the socialists of the 1960s. ‘They are not the Black Panthers or the SDS of the sixties and they are not burning American flags,’ he writes. Instead, they use measured tones and a ‘yes we can’ framing that appeals to voters who feel the economy isn’t working for them.
According to Helgesen, the underlying pitch is that ‘what is good for the group is good (enough) for the individual’ — and that achieving a ‘level playing field’ requires redistributing income and relinquishing some freedoms. He warns that this means some ‘will have to do without so that others’ lives can be improved.’
A bridge too far?
Helgesen expresses hope that this pitch will be ‘a bridge too far’ for most voters in November. He draws on the old adage popularized by Parker’s exploits: ‘If you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you.’
The piece is a sharp critique from a conservative-leaning outlet, and Helgesen makes no secret of his view that the socialist message is a modern-day con. Whether voters agree will be tested at the ballot box in the coming weeks.
Source: www.americanthinker.com — https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/08/are-americans-looking-for-love-in-all-the-wrong-places/