Posted by
Andrews on Tuesday, May 26, 2009 2:32:44 PM
I have written many times about the argument that the Republicans need to "change direction". (See "
Conservatives and the "Big Picture"", "
The Party of 'No'?", "
Activism As The Only Acceptable Position?
" and "
Winning By Losing? Not A Chance!".) Most often this takes the form of the argument that "tax cuts aren't enough" or "We have to be FOR something". However, I think the voters of California may have delivered the death blow tot hat theory. As
Thomas Sowell writes today:
Just days after Colin Campbell informed us that the American people
were willing to pay higher taxes in order to get government services--
and that Republicans therefore needed to stop their opposition to
taxes-- California voters resoundingly defeated a bill to raise taxes
in order to pay for the many government services in that liberal state.
So, apparently America's voters have not gotten the message that traditional conservative issues, such as lower taxes and less government re no longer winning issues.
Let me propose this: Obama won, not because the voters want expansive left wing government but for the following reasons:
1. Bush had incredibly low popularity, largely because of relentless media criticism
2. After talking down the economy, the media managed to magnify the downturn into a crisis a few weeks before election day
3. McCain managed to thoroughly mishandle this event
4. The press completely buried any criticism of Obama
5. Obama effectively obscured his far left beliefs and sold himself as a moderate
All of which makes me think, Obama did not win bceause America has moved left, but because they were upset by a Republican who often governed like a Democrat and a dithering candidate who could nto decide if he was conservative or liberal, so they elected a media darling whose negatives they never heard and who successfully portrayed himself a smuch mroe moderate than he really is.
How does that amount to a repudiation of conservatism? All it tells me is that, given a choice between a big government Democrat and a big government Republican, they pick the more consisten big government Democrat. There wa sno conservative candidate for them to repudiate, so I don't see why so many on the right see this as a sudden lurch leftward. More it seems like a declaration that the more consisten candidate will win.
And that is a much mroe improtant less for Republicans to learn, though one they seem, so far, to be failing to learn.