Political Wisdom from The Bard

by Don Boudreaux on November 2, 2008

in Politics

Here’s a letter of mine published in today’s New York Post:

Although Kirsten Powers recognizes that Democrats howled in protest
against Bush’s presidency, she’s shocked that Republicans now howl in
protest against the prospect of an Obama presidency ("Deranged by O,"
PostOpinion, Oct. 29).

In politics, such histrionics are inevitable.

As H.L. Mencken observed, "Under democracy, one party always
devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is
unfit to rule – and both commonly succeed, and are right."

Donald J. Boudreaux,
Fairfax, Va.

This Mencken quotation is from H.L. Mencken, Minority Report (The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997 [1956]), p. 222.

Comments

{ 8 comments }

A November 2, 2008 at 7:43 am

The Bard typically refers to Shakespeare, not Mencken. Fix the headline.

Don Boudreaux November 2, 2008 at 8:20 am

Mencken is popularly known as the Bard of Baltimore. The headline needs no fixing.

mike farmer November 2, 2008 at 9:19 am

It's one of the baffling aspects of the human mind, especially related to partisan politics — one side can rail endlessly against the evil of the other then become indignant and morally outraged when their party is attacked.

Perhaps we need, if there is not already one in existence, a psychological diagnosis for partisanism.

Thomas November 2, 2008 at 3:37 pm

FYI, Wikipedia says he's the "Sage of Baltimore."

ps November 2, 2008 at 8:58 pm

"bard of Baltimore" has a much nicer ring to it.

T L Holaday November 2, 2008 at 11:12 pm

The Bush administration ordered Americans to torture.

It is disgraceful to apologize for the Bush administration.

Sam Grove November 2, 2008 at 11:58 pm

Miss the point, T L.

I'm looking hard for that "apology", maybe you could point it out to us.

vidyohs November 3, 2008 at 6:13 am

T.L. Holaday is ordered by his dementia to inflict his mewlings upon innocent Cafe patrons.

It is difficult to apologize for looney leftys.

Previous post:

Next post: