Ross Douthat has a thoughtful response to my post about the timeless nature of economic policy arguments. It’s too late in the day to give a full and thoughtful counter-response. But he does offer one point made by many readers. While economic arguments may remain eerily similar over time, the actual facts on the ground may indeed change making those arguments more or less relevant, politically or economically. In other words, in every generation there have been people griping about stagnating wages, whether it’s true or not. But sometimes it’s actually true. Broken clock and all that. Similarly, he rightly notes, the conservative party (that would be the Republicans in case you weren’t sure — and understandable mistake these days) are for the first time pretty much in charge of the white working class vote. And that is something new. Both fair points, I think, as far as they’ll take you.

As to what policies the Republicans should actually craft to help the white working class, or the working class generally (after all, Karl Rove would dance a jig if the black working class was even marginally inclined to vote Republican), Ross doesn’t offer suggestions but promises they’ll be coming. I think I’ll punt too because it is now something that rhymes with shmocktail sour.