He has chronicled the rise of the Republican Party and has identified that if you now want to play ball in Washington, you do so in the court of the Republicans.
He acknowledges the price that was paid.
The only drawback is that now, as the governing party, they have to betray some of the principles that first animated them.Now you and I and 95% of the posters to this board will argue that the price is too high and that more work is needed to roll back government.
But none of that makes the article less true.
Both sides of the political spectrum live in a make believe world. The left thinks that if they just get the right people to run a socilistic government, or the right country to try it, or just the right amount of Socialism, it will work and produce utopia. Of course it will not.
The equally naieve people on the right think that if they just elect the right people the march to socialism will be stopped and the return to individual freedoms will prevail. What a CROCK.
What part of, This is a nation of the people, by the people, and for the people escapes the right? The answer is all of it.
The right constantly cries for principled leaders as if that were a good thing. What is a principled leader? He or she is a person who will do what their principles dictate no matter what the public want. Of course that is the definition of a dictatorship. The most principled men to govern in the last century were Hitler and Stalin. They did not listen to the public. They did what their principles told them to do.
You of course want a principled leader with whom you agree. That is how Hilters come to power. They always sound good until they get in power. Early on people agree with their principled leaders principles. Then the public learns to hate the implementation of those principles. Too late the public figures out they have no power under a principled leader. Remember he is guided by his principles not public opinion.
What is required to take this nation back to its basic form of government, is a change in the views of voters.
Then and only then will our public servants do what you want. Bush is doing the public will right now.. he is doing what the voters want. You don't like it because you are in the minority. If you were able to change public opinion so your views were in the majority every President would do your will.
But the right keeps looking for that principled leader. If you ever find one, he won't get any more votes than Barry Goldwater... and his very failed campaign will grant a huge victory to the other side. That will likely foster another great society.
No, the theme of the article is just the opposite - - that the Republicans have decided to play on the Democrats' court - - in the sense that they're pushing Democratic-style big spending. My point is that if the Republicans were really acting like THEY'RE in charge - - instead of merely imitating the Democrats - - - then they would push through a market-oriented, voluntary choice program - and let the media and tha AARP howl. Instead, they adopted the philosophy and the policies of the AARP - ie, socialized medicine. Except for the fact that the Republicans have their names on the bill, this isn't being "in charge," this is capitulation to the other side. If you can't see the difference, then you're part of the problem.