Gramsci and Reich

"One of the last things learned is the Duty of every Government to concur in & approve measures which they could not if they would hinder-in this way things are stopped from going to Extremes." Rufus King, 1821

This strikes me as both a fundamental and under-appreciated maxim of statemanship as well as a sad rationalization of someone who has already lost the war of position (Gramsci) and seen the goalposts successfully moved by the other side. On which, see Robert Reich's defense/critique of Obama.

"The real choice is between achieving what’s possible within the limits of politics as given, or changing that politics to extend those limits and thereby more assuredly achieve intended goals. The latter course is riskier but its consequences can be more enduring and its mandate more powerful, as both Lyndon Johnson and Ronald Reagan demonstrated."