Even in the worst of times

I don't like the pendulum metaphor for political change, but using it for a second, I get this. Even when the Left is most justified and correct, the Right still offers the elevators up. The classics help me. The right praises the classics. Too much? Probably. Can you afford to miss them? Probably not. Patriotism is important. The right praises patriotism. Too much? Certainly now. Can you afford to lack it entirely? Not if you want to be succesful in this world. The really amazing thing about the early American debates is how many ideas were there, ideas we never hear anymore. The congressional record, unlike history of cliche, is written by an impartial observer.