Vibrancy Is So Universally Desirable,

Joe Klein Is The Flower Of American Political Journalism, A Sharp Raconteur Who Shows Traces Of The Gonzo Style That Was In Vogue When He Was Honing His Craft At Rolling Stone Back In The Day.

Promises To Get Beyond Partisanship Are The Most Perfunctory Sort Of Campaign Rhetoric, Almost As Empty As The Partisanship Itself.

Yes, Democrats Can Prove That America Pays More For Health Care Than Other Countries; Yes, They Have Won The Dispute That Private Health Insurance Is Needlessly Expensive. But What They've Lost Is The Argument That We Are A Society.

Just As The Financial Crisis Has Created Toxic Assets And 'zombie' Financial Institutions, So Has It Transformed Conservatism Into A Movement Of The Living Dead.

Markets Are Interested In Profits And Profits Only; Service, Quality, And General Affluence Are Different Functions Altogether. The Universal, Democratic Prosperity That Americans Now Look Back To With Such Nostalgia Was Achieved Only By A Colossal Reigning In Of Markets, By The Gargantuan Effort Of Mass, Popular Organizations Like Labor Unions And Of The People Themselves, Working Through A Series Of Democratically Elected Governments Not Daunted By The Myths Of The Market.