George Will | Conservative voters, are you bluffing or for real?

The Kansas City Star ^ | August 29, 2012 | George Will, The Washington Post

[2ndDivisionVet]

WASHINGTON -- Now begins the final phase of this cognitive dissonance campaign. America’s 57th presidential election is the first devoted to calling the nation’s bluff. When Mitt Romney selected Paul Ryan, Republicans undertook the perilous but commendable project of forcing voters to face that they hold flatly incompatible beliefs.

Twice as many Americans identify themselves as conservative as liberal. Nov. 6 we will know if they mean it. This is the problem for uneasy Republicans. The Democrats’ problem is worse because they are not uneasy about their dissonance, being blissfully unaware of it.

In “Spoiled Rotten: How the Politics of Patronage Corrupted the Once Noble Democratic Party and Now Threatens the American Republic,” Jay Cost of The Weekly Standard says the party has succumbed to “clientelism,” the process of purchasing cohorts of voters with federal favors. This has turned the party into the servant of the strong.

Before Franklin Roosevelt, “liberal” described policies emphasizing liberty and individual rights. He pioneered the politics of collective rights — of group entitlements. And his liberalism developed policies not just to buy the allegiance of existing groups but to create groups that would be dependent on government...

[2ndDivisionVet]

What say you?

[svcw]

George Will is full of self importance, that’s what I say.

[SatinDoll]

You didn’t read the whole article, did you?

[svcw]

Nope.
Don’t need to, to know that George Will is full of self importance.
Thought that was the question you asked.

[jobim]

ad hominem: changing the discussion from the ideas presented, to the man presenting them.

So, what about Will's ideas?

[aquila48]

There’s no doubt conservatives are energized. The Rats have managed to get us even more motivated than in 2010. But we’re still not an absolute majority - we need a fair number of independents to buy into our message.

[donna]

I don't get it. Is George Will actually pretending that Mitt is conservative or is that the bluff he is asking about?

I'm just so tried of this pretense that suddenly conservative doesn't include traditional values.

Just stop bothering me. Mitt? Never!

[1035rep]

Good article. Thanks for posting.

[BlueDragon]

Why not tell us what you think? (like that's really important or something).

I'll [badly] start us off;
It won't matter one whit if I myself call any bluff, or don't. I'm hopelessly surrounded by Dem voters in a winner-take-all state. It wouldn't matter if I could vote a thousand times, it would still result as if I didn't vote at all, in the end. ALL the electoral votes will end up going to Obama. Unless someone out there really thinks Romney is going to carry California.

If I lived in Florida I would have to consider looking at things more ABO.

So just what is this bluff Will was prattling about? The type that vote Dem but think they are "conservative?"? Like they are going to notice? Will covered that. They won't.

This convention won't convince many or change many minds. Is the bluff really too many will just tell Rino Romney to take a hike?

[aquila48]

Good article by George... wish he would use a clearer term than “rent-seeker”. That makes it sound like someone renting out an apartment or house is bad. I can think of a much more lucid replacement term - “favor-seeker”.

[twister881]

Will long ago became an insufferable, condescending a-hole who has convinced himself he’s the only intelligent creature on the planet. He believes humans are incapable of acting from altruistic motives. No matter our beliefs, we simply are stupid sheep following the command of our masters. Jerk-off.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Next time, let me know how you really feel.

[Berlin_Freeper]

Could be the GOP-e are worried about no convention bounce. Especially after the no Ryan bounce. That is what’s really at stake.

[cynwoody]

Walter Mondale, conceding to Ronald Reagan after the 1984 election, listed the groups he thought government should assist: “the poor, the unemployed, the elderly, the handicapped, the helpless and the sad.” Yes, the sad.

Looking forward to his upcoming appearance drooling in Charlotte.

[BlueDragon]

I’m still not at all sure Romney can pull off a win. All the alphabet network talking heads just loved the guy (compared to any other GOP primary candidate). That should have been our first clue.

[Berlin_Freeper]

I don’t really know either. Soon we will see the convention polls.

Romney might win as long as I don’t support him. My support is the Kiss of Death. :(

[jobim]

Why not tell us what you think? (like that's really important or something).

Does that insult refer to me? But I was responding to svcw.

I'd be happy to comment on your interpretation of Will, but I guess I'd first like to know if you have insulted me. Now, I don't mind a good insult, and have often deserved them. But I like to get them the old-fashioned way: by earning them. Or have I misread you?

[2ndDivisionVet]

Don’t believe everything you read in the funny papers.

[fireman15]

I work with a bunch of people who claim to be conservative but really are a bunch of jealous populists who love Obama’s class warfare. They genuinely believe the media's portrayal of Sarah Palin. They like shooting and hunting but still support the gun grabbing usurper.

[NVDave]

To those who keep up on the charade that is the field of economics, the term “rent seeker” or “rent seeking” is a pretty well known one since WWII:

http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/RentSeeking.html

I share your wish that the term were more clear for the average person who doesn’t spend their time reading adult fairy tales like economics papers.