Irony or Foolhardy Optimism?

I’m not sure if Brad DeLong is kidding here:

The inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama as the 44th president of the United States of America offers the possibility of the first episode of normal politics and policy-making since the Radical Republicans puzzled over how to use the North’s victory in the Civil War to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.

If politics has been supposedly dysfunctional since the late 19th century, does he really think that’s about to change merely because the Democrats control most branches of government? Or is he being wry?