End of an Era in Politics

New York Times: “When Robert S. Strauss headed the Democratic Party in the early 1970s, he was a man of unusual sway. A phone call could change a presidential campaign, or at times, even the presidency itself. He held the exalted status of wise man in the capital, a kingmaker who helped bring Jimmy Carter to power and Ronald Reagan to recognize the damage from Iran-contra, a man with such inside knowledge of power, politics and relationships that he could make all manner of problems go away.”

“His death on Wednesday, and the memories it evoked — with praise from voices ranging from President Obama to Nancy Reagan — signaled another marker in the long road to decline of the authority of the nation’s two political parties.”