January 25, 2025

All political parties die at last of swallowing their own lies.

John Arbuthnot (1667-1735), Scottish writer, physician, quoted in Garnett, Life of Emerson, Seldes p.15

Is this what did in the American Whigs? The British Liberals? Canada’s Social Credit Party? If this is the case, how can we account for the longevity of some other political parties—American Democrats, British Tories, Canadian Grits [Liberals], despite their principals being practitioners of serial mendacity from time to time.

I guess we can only be patient if we are to see any truth in Arbuthnot’s view. I’m keeping an eye on the Republican party at this point (2024).