Volume 31, Number 15 · October 11, 1984
Politics Without Party
By Gordon S. Wood
Presidents Above Party: The First American Presidency, 1789–1829
by Ralph Ketcham
University of North Carolina Press, 269 pp., $24.95
It is always the best of times, the worst of times. The noisiest authorities never change their tunes. But during this election year the authorities telling us about the worst of times seem to mean what they say. It is not just the prospect of President Reagan's reelection that bothers them (although that's a good part of it); it is the nature of America's political system itself. Political experts of all sorts—scholars, government officials, journalists, ex-politicians—are wringing their hands over our political structure and are offering a variety of breathtaking remedies, including a call for an emergency bipartisan coalition government and wholesale amending of the Constitution. If they weren't so serious, one would think they were merely celebrating the bicentennial of 'The Critical Period' of the 1780s, out of which the Constitution of 1787 was created.
Review, 4253 words
To read the full text of this piece, please choose one of the following options:
|
If you are already a subscriber to the Review's electronic edition, please sign in: |
To subscribe to the electronic edition, please press the button below. |
To purchase access to this article for $3, please press the button below. |