Liberalism’s original sin lies in its lack of a dynamic theory of power. Much of its discourse is still fixated on an eighteenth-century Enlightenment fantasy of the “Republic of Letters,” which paints politics as a salon discussion between polite people with competing ideas. The best program, when well argued by the wise and well-intentioned, is assumed to prevail in the end. Political action is disconnected, in this worldview, from the bloody entanglement of interests and passions that mark our lived existence. Barack Obama’s inclination to sit the health insurance companies down at the table rather than confront them head-on is a useful example of this deficiency at work. Read more: thenation/article/174476/letter-nation-young-radical#ixzz2VOKW5Kp8
Posted on: Thu, 06 Jun 2013 00:28:41 +0000
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