Radical, in a Mainstreamy Kind of Way

I saw a video clip the other day, which I cannot now find, of Andrew Napolitano having a conversation with Sarah Palin. Napolitano is a high octane liberatarian, not to be confused with Janet Napolitano who is . . . um, not. The thing that was striking to me about this conversation was how radical it was, in a mainstreamy kind of way. Judge Andrew said something to Sarah about “their mutual friend” Ron Paul, and they started talking about what a shame it was that the “audit the Fed” movement had failed last year. But then they started chortling (not quite, but close) about how Ron Paul will now be the chairman of a particular financial subcommittee in the new House, and he will have subpoena power that will in effect enable him to audit the Fed, all by his lonesome. In this and a few other areas (the revolt against the TSA, for example), I am seeing some heartening signs. The old hard right is becoming the new right. Elections don’t just bump the needle, but also recalibrate the whole machine.