Hearst reference echos true today with businessman-turned-candidate

I came upon a passage in a history book I was reading recently. It struck me as appropriate today, given the persona of at least one candidate in this bizarre election season.

The passage is attributed to an article that appeared in the New York Evening Post. It reads, “An agitator we can endure; an honest radical we can respect; a fanatic we can tolerate; but a low voluptuary trying to sting his jaded senses to a fresh thrill by turning from private to public corruption is a new horror in American politics.”

Although the writer was referring to William Randolph Hearst more than 100 years ago, the words could easily describe another rich American businessman with political aspirations, currently in the news.

This story was originally published October 4, 2016 at 9:17 PM with the headline "Hearst reference echos true today with businessman-turned-candidate."