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- Christopher Hayes' short contribution to Time's "10 Ideas for the Next Decade" feature looks behind the curtain of institutional failure in America and points out that it's the elites in virtually every pillar of society who have failed, accounting for widespread disillusionment. He also notes a countervailing trend during the past decade, that of a "grass-roots activism across the political spectrum and the remarkable surge in institutional innovation, much of it facilitated by the Internet." The scope of Hayes' essay doesn't allow for addressing an obvious implication of this trend: whether this democratization and self-governance will change how we interact with government and what that means for political elites.
- This Peter Beinart column positing a conflict between two factions in the Democratic Party -- namely DLC types versus activist liberals -- struggles to make the case that by pursuing health-care reform, Barack Obama is gambling that "Americans prefer bold liberals to cautious ones." Ah, the perils of governing in our center-right nation. True to this genre, Beinart's column is long on conveying his special insights into the American psyche and short on any discussion of the actual reform legislation or any germane polling data on the subject. It offers little, if anything, for people who would like to be informed about the politics of health-care reform.
- We should all be grateful that The New York Times surveyed the barren landscape of fawning portraits of Newt Gingrich and decided a few hundred more words were necessary for the former House speaker and officeholder. Did you know Mr. Gingrich recently spoke to 300 people in Ohio about the gut-level appeal of Scott Brown's pickup truck? Did you know Republican (and some Democratic!) strategists love soliciting Mr. Gingrich's advice on matters political? Did you know Mr. Gingrich is humble about Mr. Gingrich's accomplishments and is coy about his presidential ambitions?
- The biggest consequence of the decades-long push to make Americans believe that "government is the problem," is that government becomes less effective at fixing problems which are normally handled by government, like fixing aging infrastructure. But now, thanks to St. Reagan, we know that mass transit, roadways, and electricity grids are the hallmarks of socialism, and we can be confident that the market will see the need for fixing sewers and get to work on it right away. This will, of course, reduce the conspicuous proliferation of freeloaders in our society who want the government to fund their flirtations with postmodern art.
- Weekend Remainders: The House could "deem" the Senate legislation passed and vote for the reconciliation fixes directly; undecided House Dems get some private face time with the president; the Stupak caucus is losing cohesion; Daniel Larison says all that needs to be said concerning Ross Douthat's apologia for the misunderstood architects of the Iraq War; Senate Republicans might be obstructing Obama judicial nominees, but the president isn't exactly racing to reshape the judiciary; yes, Karl Rove is a serial liar who would be completely ignored by a more serious strain of political journalism; Clive Crook reads the public's mind, ignores data on public opinion; and Dennis Kucinich offers very little to the House Democratic caucus.
--Mori Dinauer
