Michael Barone had an interesting piece in the Wall Street Journal earlier this week on what he called the nation becoming "less small-r republican and more royalist than it used to be." What got him musing was the quite real possibility that we could hace 28 years with presidents named Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton. Given that the members of both those families are decided mediocrities (though Bill has a flair for communicating), I've long viewed the possibility as a sign of an empire in decline.
Michael, noting that the phenomenon is not confined to the U.S. (think Nehru and his daughter and grandson in India, Indonesia, Philippines) makes the point, however, that there might be some rationale. Given the size of the country and the fact that it is impossible to know as much as you might want to know about candidates (and that such ignorance is rational, given the odds that your vote will actually make the difference), "it helps if you know the family."
I still think it's a sign of an empire in decline.
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