American politics over the last 25 years or so seems as if it’s a roller coaster of sudden and unpredictable plot twists, each more improbable than the last…. The fortunes of the two parties have appeared to reverse with whiplash-inducing rapidity multiple times over this period, with neither side managing to establish an enduring hold over the affections of an impatient and dissatisfied electorate.
Pull back to a wide-angle shot, though, and our current political climate actually exhibits considerable stability. CONT.
David A. Hopkins, Boston College