Here is a great piece by Michael Barone, author of The Almanac of American Politics, and poll analyst par excellence.
Why do I think it's so great? Because Barone echoes my piece What Sort of Despotism -- written 20 months ago and still featured on my blog page Near the Heart of the Argument -- in his choice of quotes from Alexis de Tocqueville to describe the administrative tyranny in which we, by democratic means, have enshrouded ourselves.
Barone does that which I could not bring myself to do: extract short quotes from Tocqueville's description of the mild despotism which he feared would be the result of democracy, a description that chillingly and eerily captures the pernicious progressivist
achievements of the last century and the evil progressivist goals of our current administration.
His purpose is to advise patience to those of us who are all dressed up in buckskin and warpaint with nowhere to go in the current Republican nomination contest. He credits all Republicans with the desire -- both urgent and honorable -- to reverse this soft depotism, but he chides us ever so gently to remember that turning the ship of our state requires three general elections to reverse the Presidency and Senate as well as the House of Representatives.
As we have so much to do, I urge you to heed Barone's advice, but I also urge you to join me at the harbor every night from now till November 6.
The we may briefly rest before our next great exertion.
