Replacing the donkey with a bull?
That’s powerful stuff, Sam. I think it reveals the Democrats tacit worry that their principles are, in some way, less “American” than the Republicans’, or at least that Republican principles resonate more easily with American history and ideals when viewed from 10,000 feet. It takes strong, once-in-a-generation leadership to change that view, assuming it’s incorrect. Liberals believed Obama was the person for the job, but it seems either (a) he’s incapable of making that principled argument, (b) he’s conflicted as to what the right principles are, so he side-steps that argument, and/or (c) he thinks the best way to get his agenda passed is to side-step the principled argument and “pragmatically” argue, for instance, that universal healthcare is about national GDP as opposed to individual rights or national compassion. My bet is on (C). And I’d also bet that it won’t work. There is a sense of “bullshit” to that argument, in the philosophical sense of the term, insofar as it’s an attempt to justify a desired end through a rationale believed to be more rhetorically effective (e.g. universal healthcare to save money) than the true rationale (e.g. universal healthcare to help people in need). Now there can be “semi-BS” arguments, where there are multiple reasons for a desired end, but one prioritizes the more rhetorically effective one, ignoring others that may be more crucial to the overall argument. That may best define the Democrats healthcare strategy. The problem for them is it’s not especially good semi-BS. Another concern is that when people think you are delivering BS or semi-BS in one area, it affects your credibility, which means people question their ability to evaluate anything you say because it may all be BS, in the philosophical sense of the term, of course.
-Jake
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- Healthcare, Rights, and Human Rights
- Where are the Liberals?
- Do the right thing
- Death panels and democracy
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