LOOK, I KNOW IT SOUNDS LIKE SUCKING UP

But honest, my saintly boss, Peter Beinart, editor of The New Republic, has a terrific little piece online pointing out a wrinkle in recent liberal angst. In the recent past, liberals have almost sanctified the Supreme Court as a way to push unpopular social reforms on a largely unwilling country. Likewise, during the Clinton years, liberals have come around to the undemocratic power of the Fed. Look, Bill, Eisenhower Republicanism works! But in the last couple of months, these two institutions have largely kicked liberal butt! First SCOTUS stops SCOFLA’s crazy shenanigans in the Florida recount hell; now the Fed is backing Bush’s tax cuts! What’s a good lib to do? Peter’s proposal is that liberals should return to their democratic roots, get engaged again with anti-Fed economic populism and with anti-SCOTUS democratic activism. Unfortunately, the supply-siders and pro-lifers are already there! But the more the merrier. Peter’s ahead of the curve again – Alice Rivlin in today’s New York Times also discovers that Alan Greenspan is a Randian human and not the Immaculate Misconception others seem to think he is. Of course, I don’t agree with either Peter or Rivlin. I’m a big fan of undemocratic institutions, especially if they’re in charge of the constitution and the money supply. You think the demos can deal with those?