Quote for the Week
“America is not turning Democratic because Americans have suddenly become liberals. America is no more liberal than it is conservative. Most Americans are not ideological at all — and they gravitate to the less ideological party, to the party that seems businesslike, sensible, and responsible. (Or anyway: less profligate, less heedless, and less irresponsible.) For most of the past third of the century, that party was the GOP. No longer. Until we seem that way again, we will sojourn in the wilderness.”
Editor’s Note: Consistent with the spirit of Jill’s post, the only change I’d make in Frum’s comment would be to replace “seem” in the last sentence with “are.”
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Is Frum really stupid enough to believe that non-white voters care at all whether the Republicans are or are not business like, sensible, or responsible. Any Republicans who refuse to face demographics has no business talking about elections. However, since Frum support open borders and unlimited immigration, he has to convince himself that those immigrants can still be Republicans.
It couldn't possibly be that they just realized that Republican policies don't work, could it?
More like the Repub Politicians don't follow party policies.
No, the policies really just won't work. There is no magic in allowing corporations to run rampant with no oversight. Lower taxes only help stimulate an economy to a certain point before doing nothing except help contribute to increasing income disparity. One Republican belief that I don't think a single economist agrees with is that there are always enough jobs for everyone who wants one to have one and if one doesn't make a living then there's nothing stopping someone from getting a second or third job and that this is a good thing. I know that in the econ class I took (A 5 credit hour class that combined introductory macro and micro into one.) it was taught that even if we had an economy that achieved theoretical 100% efficiency we would still have unemployment. And since we know of no way to achieve that theoretical perfect economy unemployment will be even higher than theory says we are stuck with no matter what. I always wondered where Republicans were on that day of class.
This problem is only exacerbated in today's globalized and high tech society. In spite of attempts to paint it differently we are no longer in a situation where a new technology is simply displacing old technologies and changing the jobs that are available. We have technologies whose sole purpose is to displace workers. Robots build cars and will only do more jobs in manufacturing. Robots can do warehouse work. Retailers are putting self serve check-out equipment in place. McDonald's is working on order placing kiosks and methods to automate the kitchen work to the point where in their ideal situation only two workers are needed in the kitchen. For the United States, jobs are not only being automated but offshored.
Given these factors there are no tax cuts for the upper income classes that are going to provide jobs and really stimulate our economy.
Jim – I tend to side toward your perspectives stated here.
I would disagree that most Americans are not ideological. I would say that maybe 35-40% are right-leaning/conservative, maybe 30-35% left-leaning/liberal. That's a solid majority. Maybe around 20% truly swing, and yes, they decide national elections, but they are still a minority. I think the hatred, mistrust, or what have you directed at ideology is misplaced. I'd rather have someone who has taken the time out to develop a complete, coherent, and consistent worldview–even if I totally disagree with it–than someone whose only ideology is to be against ideology.
Jim the problem is that what you call republican policies isn't. It is your interpretation.
And those that cannot be automated or offshored are being taken by the newly created disposable labor force that is being imported from Mexico & Central-America, undocumented workers AKA illegal aliens.
Frum — phffft. Another “We need to be more like the Dems, not threaten to take away people's government” Washington fixture.
The US public and for that matter, populism, lies center-right (as the public has even evaulated itself, as revealed, for example, in a Pew poll). What's happening, though, is that the public has pretty much come to terms with (in fact, has grown up largely under) the US version of the modern-era welfare state initiated by FDR, and surviving an effective referendum in 1964. What the public has largely done has been to choose the GOP as the lesser of two evils when the Dems, who are more liberal than the GOP is, have gone too far, as they have in particular at times since the 1960s.
You may now return to other people's imagination, which some would like to substitute for reality on this, as on other, issues.
EEllis, show me where Republicans have ever indicated by their actions, not their speeches that those have not been their policies. I remember how often in lesser recessions they have opposed extending unemployment benefits in spite of evidence concerning how badly it was needed. So prove your counterclaim, because I've never seen any evidence.