Seems like a lot of blather to me. I stopped reading after about 4-5 paragraphs when I realized he had nothing to say.
1. It's a decent article, but really, doesn't say anything that isn't pretty obvious. I do think that there's a pretty good chance that come 2006 or so, the Reeps are going to have to decide whether to become more moderate by jettisoning the religious right, or the more fervent free marketeers. 2. I remember in the late 80's George Will writing his prototypical faux-intellectual claptrap based on the notion that the Reeps were becoming a lock for the White House, and, since most pols want to be pres., they'd get the better candidates down ticket. Part of his thesis was based on California being a Republican bastion. A notion that's pretty hilarious right now. If the pres. election were this year, given the raw wound of the recent power crisis in Cali, I'll bet the Dems could beat Bush there with a yellow dog. Hell, they might even be able to beat Bush with Maxine Waters. Basically, the Dems finally put to rest their struggle between their left wing and their centrists, and they do, in fact, have better positions on issues. If the Reeps didn't outgun them so dramatically in campaign contributions, the Reeps would have no chance. In time, if, in fact, the Dems become dominant, the Reeps will have the same struggle, and with the same outcome.
I was thinking the same thing while reading this. Republicans are going to continue to move to the left, especially socially. Just as Clinton moved to the right economically in the 90's to get himself elected. While it's nice for the Democrats that the numbers are going their way, long-term the politics of parties change more quickly than populations. I think the most important numbers out of that whole article is the number of Americans who never attend church or attended less than once a year grew from 18% in 1972 to 30% in 1998. That's a very fast growing and large segment of the population that Republicans are going to have the hardest time with as they will not budge from their sometimes extreme faith-based beliefs.
It's worse than you think. Gray Davis is in a large part responsible for the power crisis, and compared to Davis, Maxine Waters is Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill and Solon combined. And Davis is going to stroll his way to re-election, the worthless pile of crap that he is notwithstanding. These cycles can change in a hurry - the current Democratic dominance can be timed to Prop 187 and Pete Wilson's "They keep coming" ad against Dianne Feinstein in 1990. The Democrats can lose it just as quickly - and if the Republicans had bothered to nominate someone besides an empty suit, it might have been this year. Nothing in Davis' record argues for re-election, but the GOP was honestly thinking of running Arnold Effing Schwarzenegger against him. So if you're a Republican, and can walk and chew gum at the same time, move to California. You can't possibly do worse in a campaign than Bill Simon/Dan Lundgren/Matt Fong/John Seymour/Bruce Herschensohn/Chuck Quackenbush/Mike Huffington/Bob Dornan/Sonny Bono/Darryl Issa etc. etc. etc.
I think Davis vs. Conan the Republican would be a good race, at least for the entertainment factor. I don't see any one party really dominating any time soon. If the Dems do get a big advantage the more liberal wing will start pushing for their programs and allow the Republicans to move to the center.
Aren't we all old enough to have lived through enough "paradigm" shifts in the American political spectrum to know that mostly they are just so much empty rhetoric. The country hasn't changed dramatically since FDR's double whammy: 1) The New Deal, 2) Creation of the military-industrial complex. If Republicans are hurting now (which I see no evidence of), then it has more to do with the Dow being down 3000 points than with a major shift in American political attitudes. As we've heard over and over again: "It's the economy stupid." By the way, can anyone come up with a better soundbite summary of all of Marx's teachings than that little cliche?
Wow, I'm in complete awe of your wrongheadedness. 1. In what way is this soundbite a summary of Marx and not, well, everyone...Smith, Friedman, etc. 2. "Whatever you do for the least of My brethren, you do also for Me."
Um, in the sense that the idea that the Base controls the Superstructure...only that minor little nugget. His whole system is based on the idea that history is shaped by who controls the "means of production" and on what state they are in. Thus Superstructural elements like the political flavor of the month reflect the base (economic conditions of a society) rather than the other way around. Personally, I agree with most of his critics that this one sided equation doesn't allow for the genuine power and semi-autonomy that certain elements of the superstructure have.
You have to fill up the time when you're waiting on someone else to get you their work. I've actually been insanely busy for about the last 18 months
I didn't even get that far... linky to The New Republic (apparently) did not work... anyway I got quite a chuckle over anyone alleging something as farfetched as "democrat dominance" when even the Democrat's leading Speaker of the House Pelosi is a known liar and their leading Democrat Vice President Biden is now giving away classified information; "dominance" indeed. Democrats are imploding and all we need to do is stay out of the way and let them..
You realize that Doctor jones's quote was from 7 years ago and, given the electoral landslide of 2008, the article has come true. By the way, I still believe that the US is largely a center right country but we are experiencing a swing of the pendulum at the moment. But like someone said 7 years ago, that's how it works. Ronald Reagan with his rhetoric, if not governance, created a new political paradigm that lasted more than 20 years. But it's dead now. That's how these things always go. I don't see permanent Democratic domination.
You realize that bringing certain people up only leads to renewed campaigns to unban certain unnamed people, right?
Man is this thread a trip down memory lane. Until I go to the part about dave patting himself on the back. That's right up to date.
According to something I read yesterday, non-Indian gaming and wagering are off about 5% nationwide. Meanwhile Indian gaming is up about 35% over last year. I guess people are staying closer to home to get raped.