Theory of Gravity

MANIFESTO

From Hendrick Hertzberg in this week's The New Yorker:

In the three elections that produced the current lineup—those of 2000, 2002, and 2004—all Republican candidates received about ninety-five million votes, while all Democratic candidates got almost ninety-eight million. The perverse result is a ten-seat Republican majority. The worst that could happen is that the Republicans would abolish the filibuster for judicial nominations, a big first step toward abolishing it altogether. In the long run, or maybe not so long, that would be good for liberal governance. What goes up must come down.

This stunning fact drives a stake through the heart of the Republican argument that they represent the majority of the nation. I only hope Hertzberg's Theory of Gravity is correct.

(By the way, The New Yorker's Op-Ed section, "The Talk of the Town," is one of the best-written around. It doesn't get as much play as the New York Times or the Washington Post (or even Atrios for that matter and he barely writes anything), but I find the arguments made on its pages to be the most eloquent and persuasive in all the media. I highly recommend readers of this blog to add it to their must-read list.)