Converted Conservatives?
David Sirota points to several Republican governors who have adopted more-or-less progressive stances on taxation and low-income health care, including Ernie Fletcher of Kentucky, Bob Riley of Alabama, and Mark Sanford of South Carolina. His point is that pragmatic politicians, of whatever party, will sometimes turn to progressive solutions:
But these governors are not seen as mere turncoats to be ignored - they are seen as mortal threats to conservatism itself. Because by embracing progressive policies during their states' budget crises, they are exposing conservatism as ill-equipped to deal with real-world challenges.One shouldn't make too much of this -- these are mostly, it seems, emergency measures in the context of budget shortfalls. Nevertheless, liberals who think that winning the South must always involve embracing conservative philosophies should take note.
2 Comments:
From the article:
"They are, in effect, publicly admitting that while the mantra of tax cuts and less government makes for nice rhetoric in Washington, it is virtually useless in solving concrete problems.
So the next time you hear a pundit blathering on about how the left in America is lost, and the conservatives have everything figured out, remember those Republican governors who came from Washington. They show just how wrong conventional wisdom can be."
Make to much of it? Republican governors (who went from Washington to their state houses) turn to liberal policies when confronted by budget crises created by GOP policies.
I think we can safely make much of this. Right on, Gary.
This supports my theory that the people making decisions in Washington have no concept of what it's like to be poor. They're rich people dealing with rich people. None of them has had to forego needed medical treatment for lack of funds and/or insurance. They've never lived on foodstamps, or worried about being evicted from their homes with no place to go.
Somebody needs to show the public how much those little tax refund checks are really costing them.
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