So back during the W Bush days I met John Dean at a talk/signing for his new book:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservati ... Conscience
I was really impressed with the guy but even more impressed with the book. John was an ole' school moderate conservative and great admirer of Goldwater. The admiration for Goldwater stems not from ultimate stances on issues (Goldwater was more conservative than Dean) but in so far as Goldwater's commitment to a liberal methodology. The book was by in large an attack on the fact that the W White House and it's affiliates had largely done away with a liberal methodology and replaced it with an authoritarian one. It was a short little book but made a big impact on how I view politics and indeed by life...where methodology becomes just as important as ideology.
It's interesting for me to see how the Obama White House has also moved toward an authoritarian methodology to the point where I don't see much difference between them and W Bush. All this despite the fact that Obama rose to power by preaching liberal methodology....in fact that was the big thing that seperated him from Hillary. But it was a rouse.
So now all we end up with is a less competent version of the Hillary Administration.