The Shape of the Future

All sorts of good news. The political situation is moving from mildly alarming to moderately desparate. Ford's US sales fell 21 percent in September, and Christian conservative movers and shakers are talking about bolting the Republican Party to form a third party if the Republican candidate is "pro-abortion" -- i.e., if the GOP candidate is Rudolph Giuliani.

While the economy sinks, and the Christian wing of the Republican Party flirts with political suicide, Hillary Clinton looks more and more like the Evil Party's nominee: big business has evidently decided the Stupid Party is finished, and wants crumbs from Hillary's table, and the Government to relieve them of their health care and pension obligations.

With the nomination looking more and more wrapped up, Mrs. Clinton no longer has to worry so much about appealing rhetorically to the Democratic Party's loony Left. Far better, now, to start sounding moderate, and leave the shrillness to an increasingly desperate Obama and Edwards. The Leftism will keep for later. . .

So, President Rodham can decide on Oval Office furniture, and china patterns, and which of the Central Asian stans Vice-President Obama will visit first; and First Laddie Bill can began interviewing interns. The more interesting political question is no longer the White House, but the issue of whether the Republicans can hang on to 40 seats in the Senate.

Given the increasingly Done Deal nature of the next election, are the Democrats to be envied, or pitied ? Are we really going to see the radical policy departures that the liberals want ? Whatever moderate pablum Hillary pushes between now and election day -- you can be sure that the Lefty within will come out on 21 January 2009. But how much will it matter ? Will the Democrats be able to at last indulge themselves ? Brace for taxes on the rich (as long as they're Republican); more money for the global warming religion; for snail-darter mating research; and for sweeping legislation to protect the rights of whichever disadvantaged minority is then in vogue.

Will the Democrats get these wish-dreams, or will reality in the form of debt and powerful and more-or-less hostile foreign powers get them locked-in to much the same the same fiscal, defense and foreign policy positions that the Bush administration now takes ? Some of the world's other movers and shakers have their own ideas what the world should look like -- ideas that even Hillary might not like much.

I wonder what the gold market is looking like ? Seems like that might be worth some research.