For some reason, my republican cohorts have decided that the way to oppose President Obama is to describe various parades of horribles that will occur if he gets his way, many of which have something to do with Europe. See this overwrought example.
The problem with these is that they are false. In fact, life in Europe is very pleasant. For many people, far more pleasant than here. You are taken care of in sickness. Holidays are long and leisour-ous. Children are valued by the state. Jobs, if you have them, are secure. Retirements are less plagued by worry. Obama clearly intends to import some of these ideas, and people are going to like them.
Not recognizing that second point is going to land us conservatives in trouble. People like the welfare state. They are wrong to do so, maybe, and I think America has the balance between individual autonomy and the state's leviathan more right than does Europe. But the idea that our people will revolt when given Obama's welfare state is just wrong. They are going to like it and ask for more, to our detriment. Our counterattack has to recognize the superficial attractions of that model.
7/07/2009
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6 comments:
What I find unfortunate is that the immigration-phobia among many Republicans (though not, to their credit, Bush or McCain) causes them to miss the one area where I think Europe compares poorly to the U.S.: in its ability to absorb immigrants and allow them to achieve success. A certain type of conservative is so busy freaking out over the Muslim menace in the U.S. that he hasn't realized that our Muslims are better-educated and higher-income than the average American, whereas the reverse is true in places like France, UK, etc.
Also, his apparently belief that crowded classrooms, professors without enough time for their students, students failing to take their academic responsibilities seriously, are ills peculiar to Europe and not apparent in the U.S., indicates a man who has been out of school for way too long.
And this: "middle-class Germans have smaller homes than Americans, more limited personal savings"
I suppose it's possible that limiting the sample to the middle-class and going by absolute amounts in savings could lead to Americans having more personal savings than Germans despite our negative PSR compared to their 10% PSR, but I'd want to see his stats.
Well, I disagree as to whether the US compares poorly to Europe, but agree as to immigration. Of course, we on the right have to contend with the xenophobes too, which is unfortunate.
As to school, continental universities really are pretty appalling in terms of quality, but I doubt anyone cares, on the whole, since good students probably get what they need out of it.
There's no way americans save more cash than germans, middle class or no . I suspect he was including home equity.
You folks are welcome to continue to hold your teabagging rallies in the Jesusdome for the next six years or so. Only at that point will we need a strong challenge to the by-then-existing orthodoxies to keep them healthy.
So go on ranting about how horrible it would be to live in a state where people don't routinely go bankrupt as a result of illness! I don't mind. Even though I'm now uninsurable and if I ever lost my job could easily end up one of those people.
Sarah,
Your use of the second person pronoun seems odd here.
Raffi,
"People like the welfare state. ... They are going to like it and ask for more"
Said Adolf Wagner.
Well, Raffi, you identify yourself as a member of the right in this very post, so...this sideshow of a political campaign, including (but hardly limited to) the bizarre attempt to convince people that they will totally hate it if, e.g., their employer has to give them a few paid sick days off a year, is what your party is doing. No?
Sarah - I'm not bothered by the second person pronoun.
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