Strengthening Constitutional Self-Government

No Left Turns

Monday Musings

Ann Althouse, among others, makes the valuable point that now, at last, we’re finally getting around to what’s important in the election campaign: a sex scandal! Meanwhile, Foley has taken the predictable step: entering "rehab." What took him so long? The Kennedys have rehab facilities on speed-dial; it took Foley 48 hours. To paraphrase the inimitable character actor Paul Dooley in one of my all time favorite movies, we should start indignantly saying, "Rehab! Rehab!!

Meanwhile, don’t miss Sebastian Mallaby smack down the Democrats in today’s Compost column "A Party Without Principles."

Sample:

After years of single-party government, the prospect of a Democratic majority in the House ought to feel refreshing. But even with Republicans collapsing in a pile of sexual sleaze, I just can’t get excited. Most Democrats in Congress seem bereft of ideas or the courage to stand up for them. They clearly want power, but they have no principles to guide their use of it. . . If the Democrats win a measure of power next month, it’s hard to see what they will do with it.

Read the whole thing, especially for Mallaby’s interesting comments on Social Security reform. Happy Monday!   

Discussions - 7 Comments

Yeah, if the Democrats win we’ll probably see an expensive prescription drug benefit added to Medicare. Oh, wait....

John:

Yes, yes, I feel your pain. Oh, wait. . .

Can anyone of sound mind, reasonably sober and with a straight face, articulate any principle that may have animated either party in the current Congress?

I think Republicans acted on the principle that tax cuts are good. I live on Pryce’s district and that is pretty much all she is campaigning on. DeWine tried going after Brown on security issues for a while, but now he seems to be campaigning on the tax issue.

I know people constantly complain about how Democrats have little substantive ideas, but it seems that Republicans do not fare much better. If you take away taxes, I do not think they have anything. They need to talk about the war, and about illegal immigration if they wish to win. They don’t, do they won’t.

Yep, I’m inclined to agree. The thing Democrats seemed to have learned from Bill Clinton is compromise and reach the middle ground; unfortunately they hit the ground compromising. What the party needs now is lots more Howard Deans and Nancy Pelosis, people who aren’t afraid to express opinions.

As Bob Novak likes to say, "God put Republicans on the earth to cut taxes. Other than that, they aren’t good for very much."

Interesting. Tax cuts as a principle, embraced because any other principle divides your friends, and in contradiction to other principles or objectives such as national security.

For what it’s worth, I’d say the Republican Congress has shown loyalty to two things, neither one a principle: tax cuts no matter what, and party-building excessive spending, earmarks above all. As for the Democrats, they showed themselves spineless last week when they went along with the detainee bill without even insisting upon a decent debate. Lacking a majority, Democrats might at least holler coherently. But I digress.

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