The Question
From the other side of the Atlantic, prescience. Janet Daily, writing in our own James Delingpole's newspaper, the London Telegraph:
[T]his campaign is going to consist of the debate that all Western democratic countries should be engaging in, but which only the United States has the nerve to undertake. The question that will demand an answer lies at the heart of the economic crisis from which the West seems unable to recover. It is so profoundly threatening to the governing consensus of Britain and Europe as to be virtually unutterable here, so we shall have to rely on the robustness of the US political class to make the running.
What is being challenged is nothing less than the most basic premise of the politics of the centre ground: that you can have free market economics and a democratic socialist welfare system at the same time.
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Comments:
Re: The Question
Let's hope that Mitt follows through on this.
Dec '10
Re: The Question
I believe Paul Ryan will whether Mitt likes it or not. Once you yell "fire" to the firing squad you cannot recall the bullets.
Apr '12
Re: The Question
The question is become ever clearer: do Americans want a continuation of the failed Euro-Socialism that began with Rousseau, or do they want a return to the free market, innovation, and hard work that made America the greatest economic role model the world has ever seen?
What a great article from Janet Daily of the Telegraph! I've tweeted it, Facebooked it, and passed it on to everyone I can. Thanks! I would have missed it.
Dec '11
Re: The Question
That is the issue, isn't it? Everybody I know thinks its just a matter of better tuning and tweaking - just better bureaucrats, and we can soldier on. Here in California we just compete to see how eloquent we can describe the most vulnerable among us, those at risk, the children, the elderly, the undocumented . . . People look around themselves and see so much wealth and think, nothing to worry about, there is plenty to go around. Romney had better start doing a good job of explaining that when you take stuff from the affluent, they decrease their striving, resulting in less to take . . . and the aggrieved suffer even more. All very "fair", but he needs to make the case that "fair" and optimal (or even viable) are totally different. "Fair" is for children and nitwits and people with a California public education
Apr '11
Re: The Question
Great article by Daley
Aug '12
Re: The Question
I've been saying for some time that this election is the choice between the Red Pill and the Blue Pill.
Do you want equal opportunity for prosperity for all,
or
An unending supply of government cheese, with strings attached of course.
Do you want the red pill or the blue pill?
Jun '10
Re: The Question
Created wealth, new wealth, builds safety nets. Government creates no wealth, and therefore has to steal any safety net that it builds. Government steals funding from the private safety net, takes a big cut to support their bloated bureaucracy, and then returns a considerably smaller safety net. Soak (the rich) and repeat.
Jun '12
Re: The Question
What a hopeful sign to see this actually stated openly in a European newspaper.
Jun '10
Re: The Question
The question is whether or not a socialist welfare system can provide its citizens with a meaningful life. To which the obvious answer is "No!". All the problems facing western civilization are the natural consequence of following a faulty premise. A welfare state erodes civic virtue, strips the individual of personal autonomy, reduces him to a dependent, usurps the role of the family, destroys the work ethic of the populace, corrupts the national morality, and replaces the need to struggle with boredom and idleness. And the Europeans are wondering why they have an economic crisis? The debate should be about ideas, values, and meanings. The good lady misses the point.
Jul '11
Re: The Question
Do we want a cronyist kowtowing business world like Atlas Shrugged coupled with an entitled society that demonizes their own financial life blood. We're coming close now and if the country rubber stamps Obama again we have perhaps 25 years before we are done, if we're lucky.
Aug '12
Re: The Question
Our problem is that much of Europe has not owned up to the unsustainability of their current government social support programs. As long as the Europeans are in denial, the Democrats will continue to be able to sell the message that government can provide an endless public trough.
I think we need to point out the unsustainability of our current entitlement programs, including Obamacare, and sell Americans on the need to make structural changes in order to establish an overall program that won't lead us to bankruptcy.
As I recall it, President W tried to identify some modest changes to Social Security to set it on a better fiscal course. Republicans lept at the chance to re-make Social Security (and some were going a little bit overboard) while Democrats, AARP, and big media ramped up the fearmongering to such an hysterical state that Bush was considering dumping the idea. Then 9-11 happened and it all went away.
Expect more fearmongering during the remaining weeks of the campaign.
Jul '12
Re: The Question
By the "misery is relative" theory, I was feeling much better this morning when I read her article. One thing to be argued back at, insulted, taunted and mocked, but quite a worse thing to be ignored. Crickets are cruel.
Retail Lawyer. Could you go easier on the California Public Education? Most of us survived it with only mild dimming of wits. We all do score highly, however, on standardized tests of sensitivity, tetchy-ness, irritability, and vindictive lashing out. Be advised.
Nov '10
Re: The Question
Red Feline:
What a great article from Janet Daily of the Telegraph! I've tweeted it, Facebooked it, and passed it on to everyone I can. Thanks! I would have missed it. · 1 hour ago
I'm curious; do you have the same kinds of liberal facebook friends the rest of us have? And if so, how have they reacted to this? I'm tempted to post it myself, but not sure what kind of reception it's likely to get.
Oct '10
Re: The Question
Peter, this is a terrific article, familiar concepts phrased in novel and interesting ways. It's almost as if those folks invented the language or something.
Oct '10
Re: The Question
If anyone isn't compelled by Peter or the comments to read the linked article, here is another savory and encouraging tidbit:
"There is, however, a wild card in this game. I suspect that in 2008 a great many voters of good conscience would have felt the moral force of voting for the first black president, in order to exorcise the nation’s hideous racial history. But having proved that America is no longer a land of bigots, they will not feel it necessary to make that point again. Now they will be able to judge Mr Obama as they would any other political leader, and the US will truly have arrived at post-racial politics."
Great stuff.
Re: The Question
Severely Ltd.: If anyone isn't compelled by Peter or the comments to read the linked article, here is another savory and encouraging tidbit:
"There is, however, a wild card in this game. I suspect that in 2008 a great many voters of good conscience would have felt the moral force of voting for the first black president, in order to exorcise the nation’s hideous racial history. But having proved that America is no longer a land of bigots, they will not feel it necessary to make that point again. Now they will be able to judge Mr Obama as they would any other political leader, and the US will truly have arrived at post-racial politics."
Great stuff. · 16 minutes ago
Agree completely. It really is great stuff.
Apr '12
Re: The Question
I keep Facebook for only family and friends, Lucy, and many of them are Euro-Socialists or Liberals. In fact, so much so I often feel I come from a different planet. :-) I used to just keep quiet, but for quite a while now I have been speaking up. I never give my opinion, nor do I bother arguing. I choose experts who are expressing what I think.
On Facebook, I preface the article quoted with the suggestion that if the reader wants to understand more about American politics, this is a good article to read. It always amazes me the reaction I get back from the Euro-Socialists. They are so opinionated about America, yet really know nothing about other than the rubbish they are fed by the media.
Educating the ignorant is difficult work, but I am trying! :-))
Jun '12
Re: The Question
Get her on the next podcast!!!!
Jun '10
Re: The Question
"Now they will be able to judge Mr Obama as they would any other political leader, and the US will truly have arrived at post-racial politics."
Errrrrr.......not quite.
The MSM (which many still consult), as well as the DNC this week, will continue to scream Code Word! Dog Whistle! in any and all possible modes - all the way through election day - to convince the squishy (tho not the good Mr. Long!) to quaver as they approach the ballot box and say to themselves "Well, maybe it would be racist to vote against Mr. Obama..."
That trick could toss a couple hundred thou to the Bamster.
May '10
Re: The Question
When you add up all of liberalism's demands you get a figure many. many times GNP. How can it not fail?