Memepark

Since returning to Washington, I'm struck by the strangeness of political attitudes here. It seems to be a city obsessed with the political process, not as a means to an end, but as an end in itself. This may seem a hackneyed observation, but it's one I never made while growing up here. My awareness of the fact began to dawn when my friend Bill, a former political consultant, talked about working on ad campaigns for both parties; I couldn't imagine a more apolitical occupation. Then, a few weeks ago, I met some friends of mine at Stetson's, a bar near my parents' house in Adams Morgan (also, notably, the bar where the Bush twins were picked up for underage drinking). We were there for Trivia Night; in recognition of Reagan's recent death, one of the rounds focused on details of the man's life and political career. The trivia quiz, I thought, perfectly encapsulated the city's attitude toward the political: it was a game, and it centered on facts and phrases disconnected from any context. The exploitation of the poor, the degradation of the environment, the brutality of war -- none of these came to bear on the actions carried out in this city of Republicans and Democrats drinking at the same bar, comparing strategies and credentials with each other.

Am I writing this out of self-doubt? Do I have any more faith in the law as a worthwhile endeavor than I do in politics? Once I have committed myself to the practice of law, will I find myself just as entangled in its minutiae and incapable of regarding it as nothing more than a tool to create the changes I want to see in the world? Maybe I don't think any more highly of the legal profession than I do of the political class. But the law, at least, is not founded on moral and political compromise; it allows some space, however small, for an individual to successfully defend his position on principle instead of forcing him into bed with his enemies. Perhaps it's the adversarial nature of law that appeals to me; in the courtroom, as opposed to the Capitol, the ritual antagonism keeps your mind focused on who your enemy is and why his case has no merit.

I've been finding myself less and less tolerant of "moderates". I read something this morning about a self-proclaimed "environmentalist" who didn't "believe in global warming". This, in my mind, sums up the position of the political moderate: someone who cares about the environment but doesn't believe in global warming; who is concerned about urban crime but doesn't think that handgun control is a necessary part of the solution; who wants a balanced budget but isn't willing to cut taxes or reduce spending. Conservatives don't care about these problems, and liberals are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to solve them.

Washington, I find, is full of moderates.