Our Big Government Impulse: A Conversation with James Pinkerton (Part 1)
In Anne Applebaum's column today in the Washington Post, she argues that Americans -- even those who might say they want smaller government -- crave big government:
If you don't live in this country all of the time, and I don't, here is what you notice when you come home: Americans -- with their lawsuit culture, their safety obsession and, above all, their addiction to government spending programs -- demand more from their government than just about anybody else in the world. They don't simply want the government to keep the peace and create a level playing field. They want the government to ensure that every accident and every piece of bad luck is prevented, or that they are fully compensated in the event something goes wrong. And if the price of their house drops, they will hold the government responsible for that, too.
This morning I set out to get Ricochet contributor James Pinkerton's reactions to Applebaum's column. Here's the first part of our conversation:
James Pinkerton: Interesting and sobering column by Anne Applebaum this morning. Sobering news for those who think that the American people are out to truly slash the size of government, as opposed to trimming back the gross excesses of Obama-Pelosi-ism.
Diane Ellis: And you find yourself in the same camp as Anne? You don't believe that the tea parties, the polls showing that most Americans are not in favor of health care, the anger over the bailouts are signs that perhaps we're turning a page on our big government impulses?
James Pinkerton: I am not in the same camp as Ms. Applebaum, no. On the other hand if it's true, as the NYT poll found in April, that 76 percent of Americans support Social Security and Medicare as they are--and that 62 percent of self-described tea partiers (18 percent of the total population) also support Social Security and Medicare--that's a sobering statistic.
- Comment (8)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (2)
Comments :
May '10
Re: Our Big Government Impulse: A Conversation with James Pinkerton (Part 1)
And how does Anne of Warsaw deem to tell us what the average American wants. Yes, this privileged child of Washington Society, born and bred, so connected to middle America through her Sidwell, Yale and Oxford educations... This defender of jet-setting pedophiles... yes, she knows what we want and what's best for us.
Come back to America, Anne. Live in Warsaw, Indiana. Get your kids educated in Oxford, Ohio (Miami has a helluva hockey team!) Take a job in the Wal-Mart or hustle real estate for a living. Then comeback and tell us what you know of the real America."
May '10
Re: Our Big Government Impulse: A Conversation with James Pinkerton (Part 1)
I basically agree with Anne.
I regularly hear conservatives call for government intervention in issues large and small. Americans in general are gradually warming to the idea of big government. It's less clear, however, where they wish to draw the line between local government and federal government.
That said, Americans' desire for government is generally just a vague impression without much deep thought behind it. It's very much like Lilek's example in a recent podcast of how a typical person driving through a parking lot wants to honk and yell at pedestrians to hurry up and get out of the way, yet expects drivers to wait patiently when he or she is the pedestrian. Americans want big government... but they don't. It depends when you ask them.
America's government problem is fundamentally, though not entirely, a cultural problem. This is why, like Steyn, I'm less hopeful than other conservatives. Cultural momentum cannot be stopped on a dime, and we're running out of road.
Re: Our Big Government Impulse: A Conversation with James Pinkerton (Part 1)
Fascinating column. I think she's partly right, but it's not the whole story. What she's noticing is part of a broader American trait, which is to see problems as soluble. When something isn't working, Americans tend to believe the situation is subject to human agency; and when something bad happens, therefore, someone is to blame. The contrast with Turkish fatalism is particularly stark. Istanbul residents tolerate living in a city where probably 20 percent of the buildings will simply collapse in an earthquake because basically, they don't believe they control their destinies. If catastrophe strikes, it's God's will, not some corrupt building contractor's fault.
You have to draw a distinction between the lawsuit culture and the big-government culture, though they're both aspects of the culture of safety-obsession--which can also be viewed as the culture of believing that we control our fates. The lawsuit culture is about relations between citizens, i.e., holding fellow citizens responsible for their behavior and its consequences. The big government culture is related, but has different social and economic implications.
Edited on Jul 20, 2010 at 4:36pmMay '10
Re: Our Big Government Impulse: A Conversation with James Pinkerton (Part 1)
I have to disagree here, Claire. It's not the view that we control our own fates, but that the benevolent government can soften our fate for us and remove the hardships of life that we surely don't deserve.
I think the lawsuit culture is not about holding fellow citizens responsible, it's about sticking it to the Man to get as much reward money as possible (granting that there are also plenty of legitimate lawsuits). Otherwise we wouldn't see lawyers casting their nets as wide as possible. When somebody sticks a fork in an electric outlet, they sue the silverware company, the power company, the homebuilder, the electrical contractor, and Nike for not making insulated shoes.
May '10
Re: Our Big Government Impulse: A Conversation with James Pinkerton (Part 1)
There were 5,789 lawsuits filed under the Consumer Protection laws in the first half of 2010. In a nation of 350 million, that's not a real high number, is it?
Jun '10
Re: Our Big Government Impulse: A Conversation with James Pinkerton (Part 1)
Again, I'm too late to the conversation. But I wonder what the impact to America's attitudes toward big government would be if we were not so insulated and desensitized to the true cost. Would this attitude change if deficit spending was outlawed, and we were forced to effectively pay C.O.D. on government "services" rendered?
May '10
Re: Our Big Government Impulse: A Conversation with James Pinkerton (Part 1)
Ms. Applebaum is that rarest of creatures, a rational liberal; her husband (Radek Sikorski) wrote for National Review during the Cold War. She is wrong about a couple of things, and misjudges a couple of others.
Her error is this: “When, because of bad luck and planning mistakes, an oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, the public bayed for blood and held the White House responsible….. “- no, we held the WH responsible for its failure to do its part, which is preventing the spread of oil to the coastal states by implementing its disaster plan competently. She also asserts, as do many (wrong) conservatives, that earmarks are a major factor in budget deficits. Earmarks are bad because of the proposition they promote, that “bringing home the bacon” (and perpetuating re-election) is the role of legislagtors.
Her misjudgment is in inferring from polls that the public won’t ever reform entitlements or cut spending. The problem is leadership driven by electioneering. The failure of reform in 2005 was largely because the Republicans in the Senate abandoned Bush, and then lost anyway in 2006. Smart plans (such as Robert Pozen’s), intelligently sold, take time but can eventually succeed.
May '10
Re: Our Big Government Impulse: A Conversation with James Pinkerton (Part 1)
I wonder if "legislagtors" qualifies as a Freudian slip?