A column in the Post today says that the GOP is "unraveling" and while normally such a determination would make me dance a jig, this one makes me pause.
The Democrats were as similarly situated in 1992 as the Republicans in 2000. They had a better (i.e. worse) economic situation on which to capitalize, but otherwise Americans seemed to have had it with the people in charge. Clinton came along, promised change and was pretty successful in following through (I won't get into the particulars there because I'm sure everybody has their own standard). Bush did the same, and was "fortunate" to have 9/11 come along and really give him the political capital he was struggling to find immediately after the election (note again: not blaming Bush for 9/11, it's just how it worked out).
Maybe all the problems that hit the current administration are problems that end up plaguing any party that gets to be in charge of the executive branch for more than 5 years. That is, perhaps both (or all) parties are so corrupt and have lost focus on the purpose of political service that it only takes about 4 or 5 years for their true colors to show. With the Democrats, it was using power to enrich your personal life; with Republicans, it seems to be using power to unconstitutionally achieve your political aspirations.
Either way, it all comes tumbling down eventually, because government is too big and there are too many people looking to take it down for such things to stay hidden. Incidentally, this is also why I don't really believe in massive government conspiracies like Area 51 or JFK being killed by the CIA or faking the moon landing. People aren't secret keepers, by their very nature. Eventually it will come out, if there were enough people involved.
I'm still happy that the GOP is taking such a beating right now, though I don't believe in the American people enough anymore to think that it will actually change who they vote for. We need new blood on both sides of the aisle.
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