Hypocrisy Too Late
Purple-faced liberals are screaming about GOP hypocrisy. It's really inconsistency, but they do have a point. Republicans were all for irresponsible spending before they were against it. David Paul Kuhn, no liberal, observes:
Many of the Republicans who backed the historic big government bill are shamelessly sanctimonious about spending today.
Fiscal conservative hypocrisy is so rampant we take it for granted. This is Eric Cantor, a Republican House leader, at a press conference two months ago: "Once again we see the Democrats asking to incur more debt at the same time they are claiming to be fiscally responsible; another day where it is more of, ‘Do as I say, not as I do.'"
The author then reminds us Cantor voted for Bush's grossly expensive Medicare drug plan (which the GOP gets no props for, btw.) He continues on, pointing out some Democratic hypocrisy, but Republicans bear the brunt of his fact-filled assault.
In the GOP's defense, spending as a percentage of GDP was "only" around 65% when they were in power. Since they lost congress it has climbed sharply to over 90%. We're damn near to the tipping point. If there were a time for big spenders to repent and turn hypocrite, it is now.
One-Size-Fits-All Statism
America’s political structure was designed to make legislation at the federal level difficult, not easy. Its founders believed that a country the size of America is best governed locally, not nationally. (The Economist)
Exactly. Obama and the Pelosicrats must relinquish their utopian dreams and let each state sort it out. We are too big, too diverse, and too modern for one-size-fits-all Politburo-style solutions from a gang of creaky, out of touch elitists.
The System Works
There's nothing wrong with American politics. They system is working. Too bad we didn't hit gridlock about 80 years ago. It would have prevented FDR from launching us upon this greased rail to fiscal hell.
Afterword: Hypocrisy is a Tired Charge
The charge of hypocrisy in the political arena is a tired one. I have leveled it only a handful of times in this blog. Adding to the confusion, it is now commonly conflated with inconsistency. Ramesh Ponnuru wrote a good essay on the subject back in 2005.
