The fact is, presidential politics has become a game of inches.

The GOP/corporate right-wing, it seems, never really considers the consequences of their actions.

Right-wing extremism is all about patience. That is, until it makes its move, and then it is sudden and explosive.

Meaning and value depend on human mind space and the commitment of time and energy by very smart people to a creative enterprise. And the time, energy, and brain power of smart, creative people are not abundant. These are the things that are scare, and in some sense they become scarcer as the demand for these talents increases in proportion to the amount of abundant computing power available.

The flaw in, say, austerity, is that its success is predicated on the relative exactitude of math rather than the shifting, liquid imperfection of peoples lives.

What's hard, it seems, is living up to the expectations Democracy imposes upon those who would participate in society.

I know it's sappy, but I bet there's a market for civility and niceness out there that, while probably not as titillating as a junkyard scrap between shirtless adversaries, it'd sure be healthier.