Sublime

Rather than standing athwart history yelling “stop,” as the postwar conservative William F. Buckley urged, or questioning the whole system of constant growth and military one-upsmanship that drove such roiling change, they formulated a model of human nature consistent with it.

THE PEOPLE QUESTION

ineptitude seated in leadership positions.

Tocqueville described self-government as an “art” that needs to be learned. It’s what Americans no longer know how to do, or even want to do together. It’s hard work, for it needs not just ballots and newspapers and official documents, which we still have, but also trust, which we’ve lost. It depends on the ability to argue, persuade, and compromis

mordant,

exigencies

there is a general feeling that something is terribly wrong with the federal government, and we can expect that perception to intensify in the 2020s.

America is getting ready for a gigantic makeover of its national governing institutions.