Opus 163 over at the Department of Louise seems kind of depressed at the low tone of political discourse going on these days – and who can blame her? She pegs it as getting bad with Clinton and much worse, since. Prior to 2000, I would have disagreed: some of the things that were said about Reagan could be a little, umm, rough. Mind you, I was sixteen and stupid (now there’s a combination not seen every day, huh?), but still.
Right. Anyway, she’s right: it’s bad and getting worse. My solution? HAH! There isn’t one, except to wait for the parties to fragment and start over (I’m thinking that should start no later than 2010, myself). in the meantime, I was struck by this paragraph of hers:
No words of wisdom here, just observations — and this: Someone once said that a great argument in favor of women as world leaders is that women have much more experience in the two conundrums which represent almost every disagreement: (1) Two children, one cookie; and (2) “He hit me first!”
I got a slight fisheye by the two single, childless women who I share a house with when I repeated that bon mot over dinner, but it’s still something to ponder. In fact, if this was one of the bigger sites, I’d be calling for a Match A Female Blogger With Her Own Sphere Of Power Contests…
UPDATE: OK, OK, I’m muttering about how Everything Is Going To Pot, just like every other generation has in recorded human history. I admit it: I’m turning into my grandfather. Happy now?
Had these two parties for a long time, even as American politics goes. About time for a change.
Bored, Bored, Bored.
I recommend 4 new ones. A Left Libertarian Party, a Right Libertarian Party, A Christian Libertarian Party, and Lyndon Larouche
Yes, it’s only within our personal memory that political attacks became harsh, particularly against a President’s sex life.
Sorry for whipping out the Club ‘o Sarcasm, but this is deeply silly, as a bit of familiarity with 19th cenutury political rhetoric would inform. It was typically far harsher than anything heard today. And it continued through Teddy Roosevelt, Harding, Hoover, FDR, Truman, Kennedy, and Nixon. Rare is the President (or candidate) not accused of being either responsible for murder, or a baby, or a war, or major crime, or being in league with Satan.
This is, incidentally, just a subset of the Everything Is Going Downhill Belief System, which is found in pretty much every category of life (soon will come the plaints that nanotech isn’t what it was back in the great pioneering days; it’s just a matter of time).
I have a quote Gibbon in the left margin of my blog about this fallacy. I probably should put up the Socrates quote.
Damn. Gary beat me to it.
“Happy now?”
Don’t run with that thing; you could put someone’s eye out.
Wear a sweater; you’ll catch your death of cold.
You can’t go in the water now! You just ate! Wait an hour, or you’ll get cramps.
Their music! It’s just noise, I tell you!