this is an adventure

Ramesh Ponnuru outlines how the new Democrat establishment under Obama, Pelosi and Reid took only weeks to reach the same point as the prior Republican establishment – “arrogant, insular, and dismissive of criticism.” Before our very eyes, “The liberal ascendancy is already becoming a liberal complacency.” And running into a populist buzzsaw of public opinion.

The Economist hasn’t lost any speed on that fastball: chides POTUS for “abandoning one of his central election pledges” on partisanship and demagoguery. Diagnosed reason? “He is worried about his political momentum.” Impressions of incompetence, sliding polls, pork not a solution, populist backlash – this ain’t looking good.

“For my own part, I find the divide between Colbertian irony and Dowd-esque snark less of a chasm than Denby imagines: Both are part of a self-referential present-tense culture bobbing around in circles on the surface, and it’s foolish to argue degrees of precedence between flotsam and jetsam.”

The Dukies are so cleancut and polite and their fans are just really energetic, so why do people who root for other teams dare call them gay? TNR writer suggests latent homophobia. Bonus points for featuring one of the best sports book titles ever conceived: “To Hate Like This Is to Be Happy Forever.”