Frankss point is solid, and Chaits wisdom is just warmed-over Bell/Hofstadter orthodoxy. Since the Democratic party professionalized way back in the 1950s, it has slid steadily to the right, and since 1968 the initiative has been with the Republicans. All the PhDs in the world couldnt beat Karl Rove, with his one year of undergrad education at Utah. What kind of experts are these? However, Frank should have framed his critique in terms of inferior science rather than as anti-science. (Like most disciplines, Pol Sci has been narrowed by various sorts of academic politics and external forces. Its not a science like Physics where there is a firm consensus about almost everything). The Democrats experts are especially expert at making excuses, blaming others, and explaining why nothing much is possible. They have no strategy now except waiting for Demographics to save them, a strategy which was tried in 1960 and which failed disastrously 8 years later. Chait-type sophisticated liberals purport to regret the rightward slide, but it actually hasnt harmed anything they really care about, at least not so far. They dont necessarily want the national security state, a permanent state war, mushrooming inequality, etc., etc. (actually some possibly do), but these issues are not at the top of their priority list. For many leading Democrats and liberals, Obama is doing things about right, and his critics on the left are enemies. They pretend to really want what we want, but thats because they need our votes.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Sep 2014 14:33:18 +0000
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