In Defense of Partisan Bickering

Deal with it: Americans disagree. Politicians shouldn't pretend otherwise

Illustration for TIME by Alex Nabaum

So we did liberalism for about a half-century, and then we tried conservatism for a while, about three decades in fact (time flies when you're having fun), but now we're tired of that too. So what's next? That, very crudely, is the political question of the next couple of years.

Maybe the midterm election was just about Iraq, and maybe by 2008 that will be over and forgotten, and the conservative long march to hegemony will resume. Or maybe American voters are sorry they ran away from home and are ready to return to liberalism. But neither of these seems likely, does...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!