It's hard to judge true, underlying trends, especially when it comes to shifts in politics.
But, there must be some significant shift in American politics. Approvals of the governmental system are at an all time low, yet no one is able to tap into that sentiment in a constructive way. It manifests only in more nihilistic voting, an abject desperation, considering the candidates on offer, candidates so far out of the mainstream on so many issues and almost admittedly with platitudes not plans.
I'm concerned about old line liberals and political-analysis elites (like Maddow), who seem not to consider that the liberal edifice that was built in the post-war period is simply gone, not in terms of the legislation that remains on the books, but in terms of broad cultural underpinnings, a sense of shared National destiny, respect across the isle, or any mention of sacrifice (except, of course, when the GOP demands that Dems 'compromise').
After listening to Maddow and Moore wring hands over the "mainstreaming of violence", with the blatant challenge to Larry Reid's faith run by Ralph Reed's group in memory, the two felt like people yearning for a by-gone age, or perhaps like a couple sitting having tea during the blitz.
Perhaps I'm wrong. There are some signs that the Koch-GOP really will smother the Teabaggers, once they've served this cycle's need for a (faux) rebranding.
However, with the end of the mainstream media and epistemic bubbles more complete than ever, with the now ostensible success of Christian Reconstuctionists gaining office, with entire "red areas" and airwaves abandoned by progressives and gerrymandered, with the onslaught of unlimited money, which may mean more in local races than in national ones (Ezra's good bit on that didn't drill down to that layer), one truly senses an escalation in the tone demanded, not a moderation.
And if this is true, those mourning the loss of the laudable liberal values that held sway for so many years are missing the train.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Another Pitch Perfect Ad from Kentucky!
