Living and breathing in the Second City
Comeback: The Party of the Nation
18Feb2008 Filed under: Books Author: Mike
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a>>This> >is> >the> >second> >in> >a> series of entries>a> >about> >David> >Frum>&#>8217>;>s> >new> >book>.p>
<p>>Frum> >makes> >an> >interesting> >observation> >on> >page> >32>. >He> >writes>: &#>8220>;>On> >their> >domestic> policy>a> >records>, >Bill> >Clinton> >and> >George> >W>. >Bush> >rank> >as> >middle>->of>->the>->road> >presidents>, >far> >less> >radical> >than> >say>, >Ronald> >Reagan> >or> >Harry> >Truman>. >Yet> >both> >Truman> >and> >Reagan> >drew> >support> >from> >across> >the> >partisan> >spectrum>, >while> >Clinton> >and> >Bush> >polarized> >the> >country>.&#>8221>;p>
<p>>Frum> >explains> >this> >phenomena> >by> >arguing> >it> >is> >precisely> >because> >Bush> >and> >Clinton> >are> >so> >close> >on> policy>a> >issues> >that> >they> >inspire> >such> >polarizing> >politics>. >But> >I>&#>8217>;>m> >not> >so> >sure>. >I> >wonder> >if> >both> >their> >centrist> >policies> >and> >their> >polarizing> >politics> >are> >symptoms> >of> >a> >bigger> >cause>.p>
<p>>They> >both> >are> >evidence> >of> >the> &#>8220>;>dealignment>&#>8221>; >of> >the> >party> >system>. >Since> >Nixon>, >more> >and> >more> >people> >have> >refused> >to> >self>->identify> >with> >either> >party>, >viewing> >both> >institutions> >as> >self>->serving> >and> >corrupt>. >This> >has> >ironically> >lead> >to> >an> >intensification> >of> >partisanship> >as> >the> >parties> >seek> >to> >fortify> >their> >positions> >against> >the> >encroaching> >cynicism>. >They>&#>8217>;>ve> >become> >more> >ideological> >and> >have> >demanded> >more> >coherency> >than> >ever> >before>.p>
<p>>But> >candidates>, >in> >order> >to> >win> >still> >have> >to> >reach> >out> >to> >those> &#>8220>;>dealigned>&#>8221>; >voters>. >This> >outreach> >leaves> >the> >partisans> >even> >more> >resentful> >and> >more> >set> >on> >party> >purity>. >Though>, >the> >majority> >of> >voters> >don>&#>8217>;>t> >respond> >to> >the> >hyper>->partisan> >rhetoric>, >they> >have> >no> >common> >voice> >to> >offset> >the> >intense> >partisanship> >of> >each> >party> >base>. >Thus>, >the> >increase> >of> >polarization> >is> >evidence> >of> >a> >dysfunctional> >party> >system> >trying> >harder> >and> >harder> >to> >justify> >itself> >each> >election> >cycle>.p>
<p>>Take> >McCain> >for> >example>. >The> >discontent> >he> >inspires> >in> >the> >Republican> >base> >is> >more> >a> >product> >of> >his> >refusal> >to> >be> &#>8220>;>partisan>&#>8221>; >than> >it> >is> >his> >specific> >positions> >on> policy>a>. >Sure> >there> >are> >some> >principled> >libertarians> >angry> >over> >McCain>->Feingold>, >and> >rightly> >so>. >But> >McCain>&#>8217>;>s> >biggest> >sins> >were> >his> >refusal> >to> >back> >the> &#>8220>;>nuclear> >option>&#>8221>; >during> >the> >debates> >over>
a>>This> >is> >the> >second> >in> >a> series of entries>a> >about> >David> >Frum>&#>8217>;>s> >new> >book>.p>
<p>>Frum> >makes> >an> >interesting> >observation> >on> >page> >32>. >He> >writes>: &#>8220>;>On> >their> >domestic> policy>a> >records>, >Bill> >Clinton> >and> >George> >W>. >Bush> >rank> >as> >middle>->of>->the>->road> >presidents>, >far> >less> >radical> >than> >say>, >Ronald> >Reagan> >or> >Harry> >Truman>. >Yet> >both> >Truman> >and> >Reagan> >drew> >support> >from> >across> >the> >partisan> >spectrum>, >while> >Clinton> >and> >Bush> >polarized> >the> >country>.&#>8221>;p>
<p>>Frum> >explains> >this> >phenomena> >by> >arguing> >it> >is> >precisely> >because> >Bush> >and> >Clinton> >are> >so> >close> >on> policy>a> >issues> >that> >they> >inspire> >such> >polarizing> >politics>. >But> >I>&#>8217>;>m> >not> >so> >sure>. >I> >wonder> >if> >both> >their> >centrist> >policies> >and> >their> >polarizing> >politics> >are> >symptoms> >of> >a> >bigger> >cause>.p>
<p>>They> >both> >are> >evidence> >of> >the> &#>8220>;>dealignment>&#>8221>; >of> >the> >party> >system>. >Since> >Nixon>, >more> >and> >more> >people> >have> >refused> >to> >self>->identify> >with> >either> >party>, >viewing> >both> >institutions> >as> >self>->serving> >and> >corrupt>. >This> >has> >ironically> >lead> >to> >an> >intensification> >of> >partisanship> >as> >the> >parties> >seek> >to> >fortify> >their> >positions> >against> >the> >encroaching> >cynicism>. >They>&#>8217>;>ve> >become> >more> >ideological> >and> >have> >demanded> >more> >coherency> >than> >ever> >before>.p>
<p>>But> >candidates>, >in> >order> >to> >win> >still> >have> >to> >reach> >out> >to> >those> &#>8220>;>dealigned>&#>8221>; >voters>. >This> >outreach> >leaves> >the> >partisans> >even> >more> >resentful> >and> >more> >set> >on> >party> >purity>. >Though>, >the> >majority> >of> >voters> >don>&#>8217>;>t> >respond> >to> >the> >hyper>->partisan> >rhetoric>, >they> >have> >no> >common> >voice> >to> >offset> >the> >intense> >partisanship> >of> >each> >party> >base>. >Thus>, >the> >increase> >of> >polarization> >is> >evidence> >of> >a> >dysfunctional> >party> >system> >trying> >harder> >and> >harder> >to> >justify> >itself> >each> >election> >cycle>.p>
<p>>Take> >McCain> >for> >example>. >The> >discontent> >he> >inspires> >in> >the> >Republican> >base> >is> >more> >a> >product> >of> >his> >refusal> >to> >be> &#>8220>;>partisan>&#>8221>; >than> >it> >is> >his> >specific> >positions> >on> policy>a>. >Sure> >there> >are> >some> >principled> >libertarians> >angry> >over> >McCain>->Feingold>, >and> >rightly> >so>. >But> >McCain>&#>8217>;>s> >biggest> >sins> >were> >his> >refusal> >to> >back> >the> &#>8220>;>nuclear> >option>&#>8221>; >during> >the> >debates> >over>