No. Fridge Magnet.
Posted on 08/22/2006 4:14:38 AM PDT by governsleastgovernsbest
by Mark Finkelstein
August 22, 2006 - 06:52
So this is Thomas Frank? This is the man so lionized by the left for his authorship of “What’s the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America’’?
Could he really have made an argument as simplistic and palpably wrong-headed as the one seemingly propounded in his New York Times column of this morning, G.O.P. Corruption? Bring In the Conservatives [subscription required].
Having read it a couple times, the answer is inescapably . . . yes. Frank's fundamental thesis is that, since conservatives don't believe in the beneficent powers of government, they shouldn't be allowed to govern. Or as Frank puts it, bad things happen "when you elevate to high public office people" like Ronald Reagan with a healthy skepticism about government.
Frank fears that conservatives will, ironically, benefit politically from the public's disillusionment about government, even though it is those same dastardly conservatives who engaged in the corruption that provoked that very cynicism. The only salvation he sees would be "a theory of corruption that pins the tail squarely on the elephant."
So not merely does Frank oppose small government, but by his theory those who oppose big government are fundamentally unfit for office. Would he disenfranchise all small-government conservatives? Is the only solution to corruption to turn the henhouse of government over to the big-government foxes? Can he really be so naive or worse as to ignore the gaudy history of corruption when big-government types have been at the controls, from Chicago, to Louisiana to DC itself?
The inherent elitism of Frank's argument - that only liberals should be permitted to operate the levers of power - should come as no surprise. It is of a piece with the theory of 'What's the Matter with Kansas'. There, he wrote that Middle Americans are basically too ignorant to understand their own interests, and are hoodwinked into voting for Republicans even though it would actually serve their purposes to support Democrats.
By the logic of Frank's column today, the drafter of the Declaration of Independence himself would be unfit for office. After all, it was Thomas Jefferson who wrote: "The government is best which governs least."
New York Times-Thomas Frank/NewsBusters what's-the-matter-with-Jefferson-ping to the Today show list.
LOL. But, but, but - I thought only Republicans were corrupt? ;-)
The mislabeling of politicians is the problem.
The House, under the leadership of "moderate" Hastert and "conservative" DeLay ... and the Senate under the "clueless" Lott/Frist meandering has spent more on non-defense activities than Clinton ever dreamed of.
The number of "small government" politicians in Washington is miniscule. Look at the positions of the GOP organization joker selected to replace DeLay. A main plank of Gibbs is more pork for DeLay's district, which already receives more pork than most districts.
The liberals have problems with their logic because we send mixed messages... mixed messages that cost me money.
No. Fridge Magnet.
The above goes a long way toward explaining why liberals hate Bush so blindly. Here they've expended so much effort and sweat over the years loosening the bounds of government set by our Constitution and what happens? Horror of horrors, a guy from the opposing team gets elected! Wasn't supposed to happen, all that power was made available for their own guys. 'Course they hate him.
Interestingly, I think that while liberals really do hate Bush, the true hard socialists may not.
First, the above point is incorrect, there are many conservatives who believe in activist government, our president among them. But really, the point is, in America, that no one is supposed to actually be "governing" in the sense that they are telling everyone what to do, or shaping society, etc. The job of "government" in America is primarily concerned with protecting our liberty and not much else.
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