IS THE INTERNET WEIMARIZING AMERICAN POLITICS? Arnold Kling fears that it might be:

My concern here is the combination of weakened Constitutional protection and Internet-facilitated extremism. In my lifetime, I believe that what has protected our country from extremist demagogues has been the need for coalition-building in the two-party system. To build a winning coalition at the national level, each party must lean toward the center. The Internet might change the dynamic.

I think he’s wrong about this, but you should read the whole thing. After all, I could be the one who’s wrong here. [Should you be admitting that? Isn’t the Internet a “hot medium” that rewards extremism? — Ed. No, I think it’s a “cool medium” that rewards logical thought and critical thinking. But I could be wrong! Still, I’m standing by my theory that rock and roll is what has saved us from extremist demagogues. . . .]