Duncan Black Marvels at Charles Krauthammer

Duncan Black remembers Charles Krauthammer (2005):

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist seems intent on passing a procedural ruling to prevent judicial filibusters…. The Democrats have unilaterally shattered one of the longest-running traditions in parliamentary history worldwide. They are not to be rewarded with a deal. They must either stop or be stopped by a simple change of Senate procedure that would do nothing more than take a 200-year-old unwritten rule and make it written. What the Democrats have done is radical. What Frist is proposing is a restoration…

And Charles Krauthammer (2013):

The violence to political norms here consisted in how that change was executed. By brute force–a near party-line vote of 52 to 48. This was a disgraceful violation of more than two centuries of precedent. If a bare majority can change the fundamental rules that govern an institution, then there are no rules. Senate rules today are whatever the majority decides they are that morning…

I was going to use this space to–every other Friday–compliment some part of our press corps that is doing well. Unfortunately, Duncan Black sends us to Charles Krauthammer and the Washington Post, which then exert an irresistible force pushing in the opposite direction…

I mean, what is going on here?

Does Charles Krauthammer not remember what he wrote eight years ago?

Does he assume none of his readers will remember what he wrote eight years ago?

Does he assume that his readers just do not care–that they read him solely for the cheerleading for his side, and not for any kind of analysis or information?

And why does Fred Hiatt tolerate this–why doesn’t he call Krauthammer up and ask him to please not burn the credibility of the whole Washington Post? And why does Jeff Bezos tolerate this kind of thing?

If we are going to have better public policy, we are going to need to have better politics–and a better press corps. But how do we get there?