[quote=zk]
[quote=Brutus]
Unless they can get their own reality show, eh, Snooki? Are you listening Octo-mom?[/quote]
I assume that this is an attempt at humor and not what you would propose they do about it.[/quote]
This is really what this election is all about. What to do about it. Irrespective of the false framing included in that 47% number, do we blame those that don’t pay taxes for all of our fiscal problems, and eliminate every program that provide aid to those people (including Social Security and Medicare) or do we provide solutions.
There was an incredibly insightful opinion column a couple days ago, written by Michal Gerson. Gerson is a neo-conservative and an evangelical. He was a speech writer and senior advisor to President Bush. If it had been written by a liberal, I think most ideological conservatives would dismiss it as just more liberal talking points. It shouldn’t be. His words are those from an insider conservative. He has spent most of the last 20 years as a creator of conservative policy. He wrote:
This crisis has a number of causes, including the collapse of working-class families, the flight of blue-collar jobs and the decay of working-class neighborhoods, which used to offer stronger networks of mentors outside the home. Perverse incentives in some government programs may have contributed to these changes, but this does not mean that shifting incentives can easily undo the damage. Removing a knife from a patient does not automatically return him to health. Whatever the economic and cultural causes, the current problem is dysfunctional institutions, which routinely betray children and young adults. Restoring a semblance of equal opportunity — promoting family commitment, educational attainment and economic advancement — will take tremendous effort and creative policy.
Yet a Republican ideology pitting the “makers” against the “takers” offers nothing. No sympathy for our fellow citizens. No insight into our social challenge. No hope of change. This approach involves a relentless reductionism. Human worth is reduced to economic production. Social problems are reduced to personal vices. Politics is reduced to class warfare on behalf of the upper class.
I think Gerson believes Romney’s problem in this election is a messaging problem rather than a policy problem. I’m not so sure. I think his messaging has been a crystal clear presentation of his proposed policies.
