ABSTRACT
The trend in question—toward an apolitical politics, partyless and problemless—can be assessed in accordance with a dozen commonplaces of political knowledge. For historical reasons—among them the simplicity of its "ethnic make-up"—the Republican Party is more or less untroubled by organizational chaos. Political talent scouts like Representative Bob Wilson of California, Chairman of the Republican Congressional Committee, are said to be advising local party leaders to worry more about vivacity and less about party regularity or ideology in choosing young candidates. The minor paradoxes that multiply in the contests need no gloss: the man seeking party endorsement secures it by declaring his scorn for it; the politician seeking paid political office secures it by noisily despising people who depend on politics "for a living." The approved state party platform was an admirable document— clear in its recommendations on tax policy, firm in its positions on administrative reform—and no influence on the draftsmen was greater than that of Commonwealth Organization.
