He knows damn well the next four years will not merely be “interesting.” They will be damaging.
As for Thatcher’s observation, it is proving out. There is no turning back.
I think Derbyshire is assuming his readership is literate enough to know that there is a Chinese curse: “May you live in interesting times.”
Exactly. Which is why it is so disheartening to read the fools on this site who advocate compromise at every turn. "Better half a loaf than none!" they cry, never realizing that the Dems will be back to ask for half of what we kept, then back for half of that quarter, etc. until there's nothing meaningful remaining.
I hadn't heard of Thatcher's "ratchet effect" but I've understood it intuitively for years. Sadly the Republicans have not and they've drifted slowly leftward over the years, but leftwards nonetheless. Many of the current crop of Republicans in the Congress make John F. Kennedy look like a hardcore right-winger in comparison.
“May you live in interesting times” is a famous curse, supposedly of Chinese origin.
It is in this sense I think Derbyshire is using the word.
“He knows damn well the next four years will not merely be “interesting.” They will be damaging.
As for Thatcher’s observation, it is proving out. There is no turning back.”
Yep.