All politics is everywhere
“All politics is local” is one of the most unquestioned pieces of political wisdom in the US system. In pondering that phrase in the context of the last couple of years of US politics, I’ve found myself having walked into one of those media studies paradoxes. All politics is local. Yes, this is true. Simultaneously, in the age of the internet all politics is national. This is why 2008 and 2009 were such bad years for the GOP. They’re why 2010 might not be as good as the prognosticators are saying it will. It’s why, whether 2010 is great for the GOP or not, they have major long term hurdles ahead. You can’t pursue a “southern strategy” in American politics anymore. The racist thugs that show up at your small town or suburban rallies (and your tea parties) and the things you say to rile them up will show up on youtube before your rally is even over. You can’t smile and nod to these people and then play Mr. or Mrs. Moderate when the network news cameras are on you. Perhaps more importantly, you cant expect anything you say at even the most closed door, invitation only session to be private anymore.
I don’t know how long this moment, this particular overlap of the old and the new, will carry on. I do know that it’s a moment that works in favor of the Democrats generically, though. They’ve spent 100 years desperately trying to purge their left flank. The Republicans have spent several decades trying to do the opposite in the form of a winking, silent embrace of their right flank. These are deeply ingrained habits, instincts even, in the two parties.
