In a priceless must-read, Bloomberg's Josh Barro shatters the framework of Ted Cruz's "bonkers speech" of two weeks ago, in which the senator-elect "outline[d] five planks of 'opportunity conservatism.' The first is 'jobs and the economy,' and it doesn't really have much policy content.... [H]is next four planks are old conservative hobby horses: school choice, Social Security private accounts, 'Sound Money' (meaning deflationary monetary policy) and"--this is my favorite--gun rights.
The upshot:
Aside from school choice, "opportunity conservatism" as described by Cruz is just a synonym for "you're on your own." Concerned about crime? Buy a gun. Want to retire? Try your luck in the stock market. Need a job? Start your own business. Hoping for monetary or fiscal policies to bring down unemployment? Sorry, that's not the government's job.
And the Upshot II: "The idea that this message will save Republicans is bonkers."
The irony is that what movement conservatives insist would destroy the GOP--a return to Eisenhower Republicanism: a fundamental embrace of New Dealism, Keynesian economics, and international humility--is the only thing that could conceivably salvage it.
I am amazed by the size of the disconnect between reality and the conventional wisdom of the GOP leadership. newt was right when heassessed the GOP's chances of defeating Hillary in 2016.
Let's take Obama's 3.5 percentage point win. Add 2.0% for the assumption that 2016 will have a healthy employment rate and a near balanced budget. Add 2.0% more for Hillary not being a person of color. Add 2.0% more because she is a woman.
Under those conditions and assuming a credible GOP candidate, such as Jeb Bush, and there is still a built-in 8-10 percentage point deficit. Also, consider that Team Obama has been quite masterful in organizing the party to optimize election results.
It is even worse than WE think, much less than what THEY think.
Yet, they think gun control will win the day.
Posted by: Robert Lipscomb | December 12, 2012 at 11:10 AM
Sounds like the same old right wing nutbaggery. Do they honestly think that using polysyllabic words to push their scary agenda is going to make that agenda any more palatable?
Posted by: AnneJ | December 12, 2012 at 12:12 PM
Geez, the right wing just can't let go the "Carter is history's greatest monster" dogma, can they?
The mid-late 70s weren't a good period economically, but as Barro ably points out, anyone who tries to argue that that period was worse than 2008 is either a moron or a bullshit artist, or both, or worse. But the right simply needs to believe that Saint Ronaldus Magnus saved us from the oblivion a 2nd Carter term would have had in store. Even though Carter had already put Volcker in place at the Fed to crush inflation despite the fact that doing so would imperil to his reelection chances.
Anyway. Just one more piece of evidence demonstrating just how well-sealed their echo chamber is. They really think 2008 was no big deal and Obama has no right to remind people what things were like when he took office. Amazingly terrifying.
Posted by: Turgidson | December 12, 2012 at 12:22 PM
The thing is that Democrats have already embraced Eisenhower Republicanism. They've done so for fifteen years now, and so politically and ideologically, today's Republicans are cornered. There's really no place for the sane ones to go, except to unite with Democrats.
Posted by: Jason | December 12, 2012 at 01:04 PM