Politics is superfluous
by digby
Wonkblog informs us of the latest in poli-sci literature that ostensibly proves that politics pretty much has no meaning. We already knew that it makes absolutely no difference what the president says (the “bully pulpit is bullshit” thesis.) And we know that the presidency, indeed the whole government, is completely powerless if even one small rump opposition group bands together in opposition. We also know there is nothing we can do about it. (Well, maybe we could end the filibuster but other than that it’s all baked in the cake.)
Today I learned that money doesn’t matter in politics except very slightly around the edges, which means that campaigning is almost completely useless, billionaire financed or not. This is because we have vast amounts of data from our 56 presidential elections and we know that the only thing that really matters is GDP and maybe a war. Or so they say.
So we can all go home. Any random thoughts that politics is a reflection of complex and competing human desires, ambition and values is a waste of time.
Whew. I’m going shopping!
*I’m just kidding, mostly. These studies are invaluable for anyone who is interested in politics and we must pay attention to them. But I remain unconvinced that politics can be boiled down to data-sets, particularly when we have such limited data to draw upon. I think people extrapolate far too much from these models. There’s just too much psychology, culture and heuristics involved for me to see it as anything but an art — a dark art much of the time, but an art nonetheless. And that just isn’t quantifiable as far as I’m concerned. At least not yet.
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