The Collapse of Liberalism: An Editorial By Robert L. Bartley (October 14, 1968)

OpinionJournal ^ | January 2, 2004 | Robert L. Bartley

[Jim Noble]

Political philosophies come and go.

Personality disorders are forever.

Liberalism is NOT an ordinary political philosophy, but a set of grandiose delusions which cast its proponents as actors at the center of a great historical drama-The March of Progress.

As long as there are neuroses in the world, liberalism cannot collapse.

[7thson]

I like your time line, but here is something else to chew on. I have a friend who is somewhat liberal, somewhat conservative - he was raised in Germany. While talking about Presidential elections, he stated that since 1960 - basically the beginning of the televised debates and the impact of television on Presidential elections - the candidate that looks the best wins. After thinking about that a little bit, I tend to agree with him. What do the rest of you think?

[7thson]

I still believe that Hitlery will run in 2004. I think the game plan is she will come forth during the convention, "answering" the call of a fractured party. The majority of the dem nominees will bow out of the way but Dean will balk. Bill Kristol said it best some months back. The only way to beat Bush is to come out even stronger and more on the right concerning national security. The majority of the Dems will not do this but Hitlery will. She is already on record stating more troops are needed in Iraq. She will easily say the US needs to control its borders and upgrade security on our flights in and out of the nation. It does not matter if she means it or not. Remember when Billy Bob finally signed the welfare bill. He told the dems that they can correct it later. Getting back to my earlier post about the best looking candidate winning, I think that for Hitlery 2008 will be much too late.

[7thson]

I do not think this will work. The one thing about BillyBob and Hitlery - even though they are liars that are not good or graceful liars. If she is really diagnosed with cancer, that is one thing. If she lies about it - as she did when she said she was thinking about adopting a child or thought about joining the Marines - that will bite her in the arse. Women take breast cancer is taken extremely seriously.

[The Raven]

ping

[ThePythonicCow]

If she lies about it - [breast cancer] - that will bite her in the arse.

Only if she got caught.

[ThePythonicCow]

I still believe that Hitlery will run in 2004.

I doubt it. I think she sees a couple of historical trends.

1. The actual Presidential candidate in a given election cycle is often one of the leading non-candidates from the previous cycle. Being prominent in one cycle, but not actually being the losing candidate, makes one more "Presidential", and gives one an inside track on getting the nomination the next time.
2. A incumbent, popular President is very difficult to unseat in his re-election bid. Even Presidents who later had great problems (Johnson, Nixon) were re-elected in blow-outs. A blow-out destroys the Presidential hopes of the opposing candidate (Goldwater, McGovern).

Hitlery is a survivor and a control freak. She will not fall for our Republican fantasy (mine too) of being blown out of the water by Bush. She will avoid that which she cannot control.

[ThePythonicCow]

the candidate that looks the best wins

I don't know about you, but Nixon sure doesn't look good to me.

I saw a nice cartoon a couple days ago, of Hitlery dressed in a men's suit, holding up her stubby arms in a Nixon V for Victory sign, looking very much like Nixon. Wish I knew where that cartoon was now.

[7thson]

But between the two candidates at the time - Humphrey and Nixon and McGovern and Nixon - Nixon looked the best on television. Carter looked better than the tired looking Ford. Reagan - with his movie star looks - beat both Carter and Mondale. Bush looked better than the squat Dukakis. Clinton - whether you think so or not - looked better than Bush or Dole. And Bush 43 came looked better than Gore - more relaxed, more comfortable with himself.

[ThePythonicCow]

what the effects were of the John Andersin Presidential Campaign

From the same Columbia Presidential Election history page link as I gave earlier in this thread for 1980:

Democrats renominate Carter, despite interest in Ted Kennedy

Republicans nominate California Governor Ronald Reagan

George Bush as Republican VP nominee

November -- Reagan (51%) wins substantial victory over Carter (41%) and 3rd-party challenger John Anderson (7%)

[ThePythonicCow]

liberalism cannot collapse

True - it may wax and wane, but there is no permanent victory. It's a virus on human society, robustly able to mutate in order to stay alive.

[Romulus]

Very few citizens any longer believe the current batch of national problems can be solved by domestic policies emphasizing big spending, Federal bureaucracy and liberal emotions.

Presumably reprinting this editorial is intended as a tribute. What planet are these people on?