John H. Campbell, a fellow of the American Enterprise Institute, argues that "the American political system has been thoroughly undermined" by the "perversity of the American people," but that this is simply "the reality of our time."

If such a view is correct. then it would be a sad thing for "the American people" to fail to recognize what the true nature of our system is. After all, we are governed (or elected) by such figures as Newt Gingrich, whose presidential campaigns have been "dramatic" and "unprecedented."

Meanwhile, the rightwing Republican Party continues to expand and become dominant — while, by contrast, the leftwing democratic left has been struggling mightily to create a new political alternative.

So in our future, should these two forces remain in balance? Or should we, for reasons in my opinion, have seen that the Democratic and Republican Party are on an entirely different course — one in which the progressive forces have, to put it mildly, run into a wall?

I can understand and understand how there might be such a thing as a "consensus view of politics" on both parties, but a "consensus view" which ignores or disregards any possible alternative — is that really such a thing?

So who is correct here? And should one simply accept as a given what the progressive forces