Comments on: cartesian political analysis

By: Robert Cheeks

Robert Cheeks — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 03:05:32 +0000

Carl, I should think that by this time, anyone participating in the PoMoCon lovefest should have case hardened skin. And, Ceaser being a prof should be down right impervious to AD rebuke.

By: A Restrained Case For Romney » Postmodern Conservative | A First Things Blog

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 19:37:46 +0000

[...] Moving on to James Ceaser’s post on what might come from the election: An important consideration in how the public views the [...]

By: Carl Eric Scott

Carl Eric Scott — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 18:20:26 +0000

Y’all see what I mean by wanting Art to stay friendly? Another insightful comment.

But Art, if you look above, you’ll see that in disagreeing with Ceaser, you also managed to imply that his, and Peter’s “minds had been ruined,” and ruined by Pete. So, yeah, that’s an insult, a three-for-one insult!

By: Art Deco

Art Deco — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 15:33:49 +0000

It is not my purpose to be insulting or all that acidic. Mortimer Adler offered that not every book you look at deserves a careful line-by-line reading. An ‘inspectional reading’ will do. Same deal with articles, memos, and the like.

Elections in this country do a passable (not satisfactory) job of allocating offices. The social relations between the continuing office holders are what they are, affected to some extent by how the campaign (among various other events) alters mindsets and politicians’ sense of where there interests lie and what the boundaries of likely scenarios are. Public opinion is part of the matrix in which these chaps work, but policy-making can and does go on pretty much without reference to public opinion. People get riled up when pesticides leach into the water table or when you increase their property taxes. Otherwise, only an odd minority notice, and most of them have pretty hard and fast loyalties.

What elections do not do is confer much in the way of cultural meaning. Most particularly, shuffling the opinions of 3% of the 55% who bother to vote from one side of a question to another does not tell you much except (in certain circumstances) something about how that question is likely to be resolved. It does not bear much talk.

—

The Obama phenomenon can suggest a few things about how the structural and cultural elements interact to make for the daily business of political life:

1. There has been a comprehensive breakdown in the peer review process in the Democratic Party, to the extent that their can be said to be such a process.

2. Not many people seem to mind who would not be antagonistic for other reasons. Instead, they preoccupy themselves with harping on the much less serious shortcomings of some among the opposition (e.g. Sarah Palin).

3. At a time of crisis, the social process which produces our political leaders have put forth an individual who seems peculiarly ill-suited to address our actual difficulties (or much else of consequence).

–

The whole business reminds one of the political life of South America’s Southern Cone ca. 1955. Elected officials and their subordinates make bad decisions, but the political process cannot seem to produce a new set of office holders who produce better decisions and know how to persuade people of their utility. Instead, the public indulges its Id. This did not end well.

By: Pseudoplotinus

Pseudoplotinus — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 19:47:53 +0000

This IS starting to feel a bit like the Holiday meal at a large Italian family get together.

… speaking as an Italian that is.

By: Robert Cheeks

Robert Cheeks — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 15:31:39 +0000

Gentlemen, gentlemen please can we just get along?
I love Ceasar’s work; it is philosophical but AD has a right to his delightfully acidic opinion and academics such as Lawler and Ceasar need the benefit of the critique or all that student adulation will, certainly, go to their head.
Carl, it’s ok if the site gets a little rowdy once-in-a-while.

By: paul seaton

paul seaton — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 15:05:33 +0000

Jim’s proleptic laying-out and survey of election-possibilities, his putting the actual future outcome in a broader set of options, was rooted in the characteristics and contingencies of the moment, as well as providing much needed perspective on that moment when it arrives. His four-fold will be an essential point de repair as we experience the election-event and try to make our bearings therein and therefrom. I also think it indicates some deep things about political thinking and political action. Raymond Aron would have liked it. Thanks, Jim.

By: Carl Eric Scott

Carl Eric Scott — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 11:27:08 +0000

Pete, it would be a relief to learn that. It would make more sense, I see now.

By: Opinion: Polarized US political system…

Opinion: Polarized US political system… — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 10:03:55 +0000

[...] odd scenario — where …Obama's base and politics of disappointmentReuters Blogs (blog)cartesian political analysisFirst Things (blog)US presidential election: Obama, Romney target women's votesNigerian [...]

By: Joseph Marshall

Joseph Marshall — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 03:22:36 +0000

I must say that I agree largely with Art Deco about the waste of words. In a few days we will have all the objective answers about who has won what office and by how much, and, whatever alternative occurs, analysis of this type will have much greater force when applied to what actually has happened.