I don't care what you say, the NewsMedia is an objective source of information! What the heck is going on in the White House? Isn't foriegn policy supposed to be the President's job? Um...what, exactly, are these guys training for?......

Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood dimm'd tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Listening to US talking heads like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity,and Anne Coulter, we in the UK are amazed not only by their hatred for anyone even mildly on the left, but also by the huge audience figures they clock up. While there are a lot of crazies on the left (Micheal Moore etc) they don't come anywhere close to these guys and gal either in terms of vitriol or popularity.

I think what I'm trying to say is that at present the centre in American politics no longer has the power to motivate or inspire while the worst are full of it.

Without buying into that, it does seem that the parties are interested in maintaining the status quo while fighting about either ephemeral social issues (gay marriage, stem cells) or symbolic economic issues (estate tax, minimum wage). The fundamentals aren't up for grabs.

Switching gears from Marx to Burke, is that such a bad thing?

'depending on whether they are more interested in making money or getting high and/or engaging in nonconformist sexual practices. '

Why not all 3?