In case there was ever any doubt, Paul Krugman makes it plain today that partisan times call for partisan measures.
The point is that those who cling to the belief that politics can be conducted in terms of people rather than parties -- a group that also includes would-be centrist Democrats like Joe Lieberman and many members of the punditocracy -- are kidding themselves.
The fact is that in 1994, the year when radical Republicans took control both of Congress and of their own party, things fell apart, and the center did not hold. Now we're living in an age of one-letter politics, in which a politician's partisan affiliation is almost always far more important than his or her personal beliefs. And those who refuse to recognize this reality end up being useful idiots for those, like President Bush, who have been consistently ruthless in their partisanship.
We can only hope progressive organizations who don't mind endorsing less-conservative Republicans (Sierra Club and NARAL, we're looking at you) are listening.
--Guest Post by Steve Benen, The Carpetbagger Report
