We all know what the issues are. We all know where the blame lies. We've told each other the same stories so many times that the memories are worn. There's nothing "new" about the "new media" anymore.
Which is not to say that FR and its companion sites aren't valuable. They serve as a nexus for the ideals that sustain us, and everyone needs peer validation once in a while. And occasionally, like the Dan Rather scandal or the Swifties, the eternal vigilance that is liberty's cost pays off.
But mostly, I think we're just getting older, and the fire is burning low. I know I can't muster the enthusiasm I once had.
But tomorrow's another day, and who knows what it may bring? In the meantime, Jim and John and the crew at FR are still latter-day Diogenes's to me.
Good assessment IJ.
I agree. It's been about 10 years now since the internet was the "next big thing," and all novelties get boring after a while.
There might also be something deeper going on. I wonder if the tide isn't going out on a whole style of politics. I began thinking this during Reagan's funeral (and also John Paul II's). The country has changed profoundly since Ronaldus Magnus was elected. I don't know if he could be nominated nowadays. Most of us thought the '94 elections would bring about a serious conservative turn in the country; although it had its successes, it never achieved the kind of social turnaround that we hoped for.
W's admin may be seen as the last "cold war" style admin. Look at who staffed it: Cheney, Rumsfeld, et al. All good men, but they came out of a time when Europe was on our side and the cultural values of the country were less disintegrated. I think the culture war is where the real action is now, and that means less overt political interests. Old style politics seems fatally infested with the burocratic elites--whether Republican or Democrat they are equally soulless.
There's also Iraq fatigue. Let's face it: much of our pride came from our military performance in the 80's and early 90's and the blunders in Iraq have bruised our confidence. It's not lost yet, but will take much more struggle and sacrifice before we can claim anything like a win. I say this as a Gulf War I vet (2nd ACR).