TightWind is written by Kyle Baxter. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Of late, the Obama administration has been invoking the progressive era as a sort of model to guide them. David Brooks doesn’t find it particularly applicable:

In sum, in the progressive era, the country was young and vibrant. The job was to impose economic order. Today, the country is middle-aged but self-indulgent. Bad habits have accumulated. Interest groups have emerged to protect the status quo. The job is to restore old disciplines, strip away decaying structures and reform the welfare state. The country needs a productive midlife crisis.

In the broader strokes, I think Brooks has it absolutely right.