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Doesn't the minority party always develop some skepticism of big government eventually? And don't they always shed it after spending enough time in power?

|3.7.05 @ 6:27PM|#

I agree with thoreau & R C Dean. At best they might stick with the rhetoric for a while after regaining power.

Alex|3.7.05 @ 6:44PM|#

I havn't heard of the party but it's true that he DNC has to win more elections.

|3.7.05 @ 6:57PM|#

Thoreau,

If each party was uneffected by ideology that might be significantly true. The Democrats are the party of government, it is part of the self identity of too many of its members. In fact, I tink it is safe to say that it is not that Democrat are losing their faith in government, rather that they do not trust the people currently running the government. As soon as proper thinking people are back in charge their faith in Leviathan will return, with a vengeance.

|3.7.05 @ 7:12PM|#

I, for one, welcome our new federalist Democrat overlords!

Oh, wait! The reason they are now federalists is because they AREN'T overlords.

|3.7.05 @ 8:43PM|#

Is there anyone amongst us who thinks otherwise?

|3.7.05 @ 11:10PM|#

Federalism is the opiate of the minority party. A party will promote the excercise of power in whatever forum that offers the best opportunity for that party to excercise power.

The arguement that Democrats are forever tied to big government increasingly sounds like a whiney excuse by Republicans who are trying to convince themselves that their party hasn't turned. The Republicans used to be for Federalism, but it turns out they were only against a Democratic majority and wanted to devolve power, as the Democrats are starting to wish for, to the places where they have half a chance of excercising power.

|3.7.05 @ 11:27PM|#

Whatever it takes to bring about divided government is fine by me. If calling themselves Federalists will get more Democrats into power to deadlock government growth, they've got my vote.

|3.7.05 @ 11:57PM|#

The arguement that Democrats are forever tied to big government increasingly sounds like a whiney excuse by Republicans who are trying to convince themselves that their party hasn't turned.

In all fairness, the GOP spent enough time out of power that they actually attracted a cohort of genuine federalists and economic liberals (in the classical sense). The last time that they had the White House, Senate, and House was in the 1950's (I think). They didn't again enjoy unified control of the gov't until 2000. Although they had power at times, they never had enough power to get so completely drunk and corrupted as they have now.

The Dems haven't spent enough time in the wilderness to cultivate a significant core of genuine federalists and classical liberals. Right now it's just an instinctive reaction to being the minority party. But if they spend enough time in exile, and the GOP spends enough time drunk on power, then a genuine core of real small government types will evolve.

Given the current ideological situation in each party, the best outcome would probably be divided government. The conditions needed to nucleate a genuine libertarian caucus of significant size in the Democratic Party are too awful to contemplate: Decades of consolidated and corrupt GOP rule.

TWC|3.8.05 @ 7:49AM|#

Mike|3.8.05 @ 9:15AM|#

I don't know exactly when this golden era of the Democratic Party was. Maybe when they gave us the Federal Reserve System, maybe prohibition, maybe social security, maybe the Great Society, not sure. Maybe someone can enlighten me.

Or it could have coincided with the space age, civil rights reform, and the tremendous economic growth of the 20th century. But hey, who's counting, right?

Warren|3.8.05 @ 11:43AM|#

That article SUCKS. What's the fucking point of having Democrats embrace federalism so they can abandon it if/when they retake the majority.

There is NO HOPE what-so-fucking-ever, for the advance of personal freedom, at the hands of Democrats or Republicans PERIOD.

All attempts to forge alliances within major parties, or steer them in our direction have only, and can only, result in the furtherance in our own oppression.

FUCK the Democrats! They rode roughshod over the whole damn country from on high for FIFTY YEARS! Now that the Republicans are using the machinery they built to grind their ass, they're crying over the abuse of power. There is nothing to be gained by returning them to power so they can betray us again.

Meet the New Boss...

TWC|3.8.05 @ 3:04PM|#

--Or it could have coincided with the space age, civil rights reform, and the tremendous economic growth of the 20th century. But hey, who's counting, right?--

Oh Mike, got dang it yer right. The space program gave us Permatex RTV blue. Worth every billion spent on it too because nobody could have every invented that stuff in a million years. That's a nice plus.

TWC|3.8.05 @ 3:05PM|#

Warren, great comment.

Same as the old Boss regards,

TWC

b-psycho|3.8.05 @ 4:42PM|#

The back & forth of the two "majors" w/ the popularity of each being strongest when they're all about Nanny-Stateism really should be seen as a hint the problem is more an electorate populated by spoiled, contradictory brats than the politicians themselves. After all, they elect the bastards anyway.

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