Furthermore: the republican ideal fragmented into liberal and conservative, if not radical and reactionary versions, while the rhetoric of government by consent remained substantially fixed.
– William Hedges. “The Myth of the Republic and the Theory of American Literature.” 109.
Reading this sentence I had to think of the state of public discourse in the States today, more precisely of the problems Obama/ the “liberal media” have competing against the right-wing radical/reactionary rhetoric of Beck/the neo-Tea Party. It’s not liberal vs. conservative anymore, it’s liberal vs. radical-reactionary. And that’s a tough match-up for liberals. It’s like bringing a pen to a gun fight.
Thoughts?