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The Do-Nothing Conspiracy ("The Whig Party died" - could it happen again? What will replace it?)
New York Times ^
| March 19, 2005
| DAVID BROOKS
Posted on 03/19/2005 1:13:42 AM PST by baseball_fan
If you want an image that captures what American politics will be like over the next few decades, imagine two waves crashing down upon us simultaneously, each magnifying the damage caused by the other.
The first wave is the exploding cost of the entitlement programs. The second wave is the ever-increasing polarization of the political class. The polarization will make it impossible to reach an agreement on how to fix the entitlements problem. Meanwhile the vicious choices forced on us by entitlement costs will make the polarization even worse.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: davidbrooks; whigs
Talk of looming fiscal crisis, both parties possibly losing "their core reason for being" given the building constraints, one or more political parties possibly dying, anti-politician strong-men to emerge to "bust heads": is David Brooks' warning overblown? Will we be able to politically step away from the cliff in the face of unprecendented pressures and, like Reagan, solve our problems, thereby preserving our "morning in America?"
To: baseball_fan
Doom and gloom leftist forecast.
2
posted on
03/19/2005 2:02:04 AM PST
by
carumba
To: baseball_fan
To: baseball_fan
The Whig Party died because it did not take a stand on the most important issue of the day, slavery, and attempted to "finesse" it by emphasizing "pocketbook" issues---which the Dems were already doing. It was weak "me-too-ism," and people were concerned about the growing moral threat of slavery to the Republic. You say, "Why didn't the Dems die?" Because the Dems never WERE a party of principle----their founding principle was ONLY to hold power so as to prevent any actions on slavery, and to do so they bought people off through patronage.
Sounds just like the modern Dems.
When the Repubs came along with the PRINCIPLE of no slavery in the territories, they won.
4
posted on
03/19/2005 5:33:27 AM PST
by
LS
(CNN is the Amtrak of news)
To: LS
The Whig Party died because it did not take a stand on the most important issue of the day, slavery, and attempted to "finesse" it by emphasizing "pocketbook" issues Finesse-- is that anything like "nuance"? /sarcasm off
To: carumba
Doom and gloom leftist forecast. After writing for the Washington Times, and then the Weekly Standard, and still countering the remarks of well known leftist Mark Shields every Friday evening on The News Hour from PBS, what makes you think Brooks gave a "leftist forecast"?
6
posted on
03/19/2005 7:25:07 AM PST
by
neverdem
(May you be in heaven a half hour before the devil knows that you're dead.)
To: baseball_fan
Cut the entitlements. Cut 'em deep. Allow private Social Security accounts to be a much bigger percentage.
To: afraidfortherepublic
Yeppers. Or like "compromise," which is strictly defined as "doing less than you know is right."
8
posted on
03/19/2005 10:31:30 AM PST
by
LS
(CNN is the Amtrak of news)
To: baseball_fan
America's future is "Brazilianization". We'll have our Lula or Chavez, and most of the things Brooks talks about will be irrelevant. Typical that he ignores that particular 800 gorilla.
9
posted on
03/19/2005 11:07:35 AM PST
by
jordan8
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