Bateson no fool; lectured at Esalen Institute back in the day; have a book or two.

Liked this response [Pulliam]

I think we saw a small taste of the revitalization phenom in the last election. The widespread belief that one man, a professional, baked-in-to-the-bone politician, would lead a rejuvenation of American society, economy, and vitality single-handedly certainly leans this way. Don't misnderstand, I voted for the man because I thought he would be the best choice as a politician (and I would rather spend four or eight years hearing his voice on the radio than the alternative), and he represented a symbolic repudiation of the policies of the last administration. But government and politics follow society, economics, and culture, they don't lead it. We will have a rejuvenated government when we have a rejuvenated culture and economy, not the other way around. As the hot dog vendor said to the Buddhist in the rebound punchline of the well-worn joke, "Change comes from within."

AIn't it da truff? We'unses surely knew (though mostly tacitly--even here) that neither BHO nor a fallen Archangel could, via wisdom (even!) nor rhetoric + the relatively puny power of the bully pulpit, wreak a magical transformation of a plurality of Muricans ... into adults. (Also there was no 2nd or 3rd-best option--all the eggs had to be put in the One basket, always the case in winner-takes-all.)

Nice always, to find on intarweb a pre-postmodern colloquy (whatever topic.) Thanks again. As John concludes,
I suspect that unless we cultivate an unusual degree of common sense, a great many of us in the years to come may end up doing some equivalent of standing in suburban backyards, waiting for the saucers to arrive.

(Or a few of us, possessed of few illusions about ez-smarts ... just pining for the appearance of Cattus appo-thumbus sapiens to do the sorting-out,)