The Washington Monthly
The Washington Monthly
I don't agree with Kevin about this being a weakness in conservatism - they've been getting away with it for years and I see no reason for it not to continue. About every 20 years there's a liberal win that releases the pressure from the conservative pot, and then things carry on as before.
But this is on the money about the way in which conservatives have to pretend to be liberal in some areas to be elected at all (similarly, liberals have to now at least pretend to be fiscally conservative). This is why Gorver Norquist and his ilk are going to be horribly disappointed if Bush wins in November - federal spending will keep on rising because no politician can afford to cut spending by the amount needed to trim the deficit.
It also interested to note just how many people - mainly conservative, but some liberals as well - have no idea of the true positions held by the candidates they favour.
I don't agree with Kevin about this being a weakness in conservatism - they've been getting away with it for years and I see no reason for it not to continue. About every 20 years there's a liberal win that releases the pressure from the conservative pot, and then things carry on as before.
But this is on the money about the way in which conservatives have to pretend to be liberal in some areas to be elected at all (similarly, liberals have to now at least pretend to be fiscally conservative). This is why Gorver Norquist and his ilk are going to be horribly disappointed if Bush wins in November - federal spending will keep on rising because no politician can afford to cut spending by the amount needed to trim the deficit.
It also interested to note just how many people - mainly conservative, but some liberals as well - have no idea of the true positions held by the candidates they favour.
posted by Toby Scott at 10/25/2004 10:41:00 AM
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