Mark Steyn well notes the tendency for the current Democrat party to concentrate on micro issues while Republicans hold a large lead in macro issues. Unfortunately, this is not a very good dynamic for the US, or the world. It sets up a nasty cyclic situation where big issues, like ending the Cold War, dealing with the War on Terrorism, etc. will become a Republican preserve which, as soon as they solve them, will lead to them being thrown out on their ear to be replaced by micro-politics specialists like Bill Clinton and Howard Dean who, ignoring the big issues, set up the world for another set of crises requiring Republicans to put right.
The truth is that both micro and macro politics works better when there are two realistic, well thought out alternatives available for the voters to choose from. It did urban america no favors to have the Republican party largely cede urban politics in the '70s. It does our national security no good to have generally unserious responses to the War on Terror coming from the Democrat party today.
HT to Balloon Juice
Posted by TMLutas at December 17, 2003 03:18 PM