But here’s the thing: the G.O.P. looked as crazy 10 or 15 years ago as it does now. That didn’t stop Republicans from taking control of both Congress and the White House. And they could return to power if the Democrats stumble. So it behooves us to look closely at the state of what is, after all, one of our nation’s two great political parties.
The GOP ten or fifteen years ago were just as crazy as they are now, and they were taken with disturbing seriousness by too many people who should have known better. And ten or fifteen years from now, if not sooner, the crazies in the GOP will be taken seriously again and will be back in the driver's seat. There's too much money and power that benefits from the crazies gumming up the works. There's too much money and power that will be directed toward insuring that sanity and the common good be ridiculed and discredited. The Democrats are themselves cynically compromised by that money and power, but at least some of them are sane and educable, and now their feet must be held to the fire by a principled radical center.
That's why the most important issue–before healthcare, before fixing the economy, before terrorism–is to restore transparency and the rule of law. The long-term health of the country requires it. Programs and policy are important, but not nearly so important as the underlying constitutional infrastructure. Because when the crazy people get back in power, as inevitably they will, they will pickup where Cheney/Bush left off.
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