There is a reason why conservatives talk about 'government' and not 'self-government,' because to refer to the latter is to concede that 'the government' is really the most basic product of our political commonwealth, that it is what we produce among ourselves so as to order the production of everything else that we do together.
Charlie PierceOptimism....is neither weak nor naive. It can be tough and pure and earned just as clearly as any brooding existential despair.
Charlie PierceRonald Reagan was a dim hack who did horrible damage to almost everything he touched.
Charlie PierceAccording to the people who dearly would love to throw him out of office, Barack Obama was elected to be 'above politics.' He wasn't elected to be president, after all. He was elected as an avatar of American tolerance. His attempts to get himself reelected imply a certain, well, ingratitude.
Charlie Pierce