If you thought that the summer hiatus of August offers no political interest, here is a story at the respectably conservative Economist titled 'When insurgents are incumbents'. It offer a window on the search for ideological purity that obsesses the Republican Party of 2012: to such an extent that the moderate conservative Senator Richard Lugar was defeated in a recent Indiana primary election. Doing the peoples business is then relegated to a minor role, while the ideological purity exemplified by the political theology of the Tea Party and of the ruthless Mr. Grover Norquist is ascendant. One wonders when the American electorate will tire of the Manichean principles that dominate it's political discourse, and to the political nihilism of this collection of Robespierres, that has and will crush the heretics, no matter where they hide, even if it be in the very bosom of the Party? The story at the Economist concentrates it's analytical energies on the horse race with ideological issues taking a role along side of the contest between David Schweikert and Ben Quayle, of the redrawn sixth congressional district of Arizona. It is all boringly familiar, except for those attuned to the ideological and moral imperatives that animate the Republican Party in 2012. The candidate's web sites are filled with pictures and videos of community and political supporters, while written positions are brief, minimal, as in positions on issues of concern to voters. The thank yous for attended events and support are effusive. Here it is in all it's detail and it's essential themes of a contest for likability, trust and above all else, political purity.

Political Observer