Is Politics Different Now?

Republican National Convention in Chicago, June 1912.

I've been trying to ignore this whole government shutdown thing because I figured it was just grandstanding and eventually some piece of the blockage will crumble, the wall of obstruction will collapse, and things will go back to normal. Besides, I'm not sure there is anything I could do about it anyway. I write this blog. Maybe I help a few people to better understand the world. Maybe I'm just preaching to the choir. Whatever.
    Read an essay this morning The Roots of the Government Shutdown By George Friedman that offers an explanation of why politics has become so useless. He has backed off far enough from the situation that the he has gained the advantage of perspective. It's kind of long, but it's makes sense.

Via Comrade Misfit.