A long time ago, I was proud to run a cover essay at TNR by a then-barely known Texan writer, Michael Lind. It described the 1994 Congressional election as part of a historical pattern of Southern revolt. In a must-read, Michael updates the piece with an analysis of the Tea Party, which strips it of its national patina to reveal the forces beneath. Money quote:
From the earliest years of the American republic, white Southern conservatives when they have lost elections and found themselves in the political minority have sought to extort concession from national majorities by paralyzing or threatening to destroy the United States…
The debt ceiling crisis is the latest case in which the radical right in the South has held America hostage until its demands are met. Presidents Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln refused to appease the Southern fanatics. Unfortunately, President Obama and the Democrats in Congress chose not to follow their example and instead gave in. In doing so, they have encouraged the neo-Confederate minority in Congress to find yet another opportunity in the near future to extort concessions from America's majority by sabotaging America's government.
Funny, but my memory was that, for a long time, Lincoln did all he could to appease the South without conceding the whole ball-game. I see Obama in Lincoln's position. Not for the first time.
The Dish 