Lynx there appear to be two areas where the administration and its GOP congressional allies have remained true to conservative ideals- tax cuts and Supreme Court picks. Otherwise they have betrayed the movement.

Good comment, Kim!
(see, I’m keeping my word )

Superdestroyer that may be true- although I don’t see how they could have missed it, since the GOP was constantly reminding them in their campaign ads, lol. What exactly have any of these radical liberals done so far that is so scary?Pelosi’s agenda doesn’t seem overly leftist to me. Many moderates were driven into the Democratic Party because of the realization that the Republican Party no longer represented their values. Any other option seemed better.

The rich white kids in political science classes

“superdestroyer”,

Have you even met any of the students in my political science classes?

Didn’t think so.

The amazing part is the number of people who actually buy those books.

Brooks writes his story line as if living too near a Starbucks or like Starbucks it says something about your politics….he writes stuff that just beyond stupid.

And in one of my recent posts I make a small stab at expressing my view of the problem of the small government philosophy and it relates to the New York Times article that Paul links to in his earlier comment. In fact the article goes much deeper into the problems of current government contracting than just the lack of competition.

Most former right wing committee chirmen also were against much what moderate stand for. And they didn’t even pretend to do teir job.

The rich, white moderates may want fiscal conservatism, school vouchers, and limited government but when you look at the current crops of committee chairman that were put into power by the (justified) rejection of the Republicans is against most of what they stand for.

The rich white kids in political science classes may think that they are centrist but if there votes keep the Congressional Black Caucus in power,

Due to demographics and gerrymandering the ‘rich white student’ doesn’t vote in the BC districts. False claim!!

Friedman? Supply side economics largely failed. I support a Keynesian view of the economy, of course.

The NY Times has an article about the lack of competition in government contracts. Increasing competition in this area could be another leg of the GOP platform if they want to enhance the image that they are not the party of special interests.

The question is whether people like Webb or Tester will stick around for 20 years in order to gain in sort of power in the seniority driven Senate. I just cannot see Webb or Tester sticking around like the Byrd, Kennedy, or Biden.

In the long run, the kids are mouthing the words that puts them squarely in the Democratic party. They are will to give the other factions of the Democratic party as long as they get what they want. That makes them exactly the same as the black, hispanic, jewish, gay, union, and government employee wings of the Democratic party.

I was referring the the purer form of “conservative” that embraced Milton Friedman’s free markets. I could get excited about a GOP movement to go back towards free market purity. Starting with tax simplification and reducing subsidies that are not in the interest of health or national security.

I tend more to the right side on economical issues, too, but I can’t see that there’s anything like a “conservative method of optimizing free markets”, Paul. I see cronyism, even bribery, no bid contracts, lots of suspicious subsidies, oligopolys in the energy, telecommunication and media markets, de facto monopoly in the market for Computer OS and office software, legislation that hinders the information process that’s necessary for the markets of credit card companies, HCOs and insurances to work, an inbalance of power on the labor market, and lots of other irregularities that violate every ideal of free markets contributing to the welfare of the nation. Adam Smith is rotating in his grave, I guess.

After six years of a conservative presidency, where are the signs of “optimized free markets”? Or are you referring to some obscure conserative economical pundit I haven’t heard of, whose ideas never made it tinto the party program?

Some of us are free agents looking at the world as a magical ever-changing buffet. Some embrace change and evolution, Some are terrified of it and losing their sense of self. It is what keeps the world goin’ ’round.�

Thanks Paul (via Shaun), your words say so well what many of us think and feel.

With your permission I will quote you along with another favorite discriptor of the conflict/oppertunity between the world and self:

You have a magic carpet
That will whiz you through the air,
To Spain or Maine or Africa
If you just tell it where.
So will you let it take you
Where you’ve never been before,
Or will you buy some drapes to match
And use it
On your
Floor?

- Shel Silverstein