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November 15, 2006

Buyer's Remorse

I noticed yesterday that Moe Lane had taken note of my recent essay regarding the Democrats' push to get out of Iraq with an essay he called 'None Dare Call it Buyer's Remorse.' It was an opportunity for him to, as he phrases it, point out the problem with my essay.

Well, actually, there are several problems with the above; but the one I'm going to mention is Mr Olmsted's quaint belief that the Democratic Party has any interest at all in him (or anyone else) wanting answers. The time for demanding answers ended at the precise moment when Mr. Olmsted (and unfortunately, a majority of the voting population) voted the Democratic slate in their various elections. Now that this has happened, the Democratic Party will - as is their wont - pat their voters on the head and send them back home. And then the Democratic Party will proceed to do whatever its leadership feels like doing. If that means abandoning Iraq to its fate, well... Mr. Olmsted is simply going to have to understand that the Democratic Party has its own priorities, and they do not include making Mr. Olmsted feel better about himself.

As problems go, that's not a big one. Indeed, it doesn't strike me as a problem at all, at least not one to be concerned about. Neither political party has the slightest interest in making me feel better about myself. Fortunately, I was never under the misapprehension I needed a political party to make me feel better, so that's no great loss.

What I find particularly amusing about Moe's essay, however, is the implication that, had I voted Republican, this would somehow have turned out differently. As if the last six years of the Bush administration had been a triumph of the kind of politics I'd like to see. Let's see, the legacy of the Bush administration as of right now: No Child Left Behind, the further infiltration of education by the federal government; Medicare Plan D, the first new entitlement program since the Great Society; a thorough undermining of Social Security reform via President Bush's failure to push an idea of his own; a war in Afghanistan that may yet turn into an American loss; a war in Iraq that shows every sign of already being an American loss; vast expansions of the power of the executive; suspension of habeas corpus...well, I could go on, but I hope I've made my point: Republicans ascendant have done nothing to demonstrate that they're a party of limited government or even a party that is particularly interested in protecting the United States from foreign threats, given the only time they seem to bring up that particular issue is when an election has come around and they need our votes.

Will the Democrats be better at what I want? No way in Hell. I anticipate Democratic ascendance to be just as painful as Republican ascendance, with some variations in the details. Nancy Pelosi's endorsement of Jack Murtha for Majority Leader puts paid her claims of trying to make Congress remotely ethical, although in fairness we'll have to wait at least through January to see what they actually try to push into law.

With that kind of attitude, why did I vote Democratic? Because I'd like to see one of the two major parties embrace limited government again, and the Republican party is the only game in town for that. When they're in power, they like government. But with them out of power, just maybe they'll remember their disdain for government. It's a long shot, but it's the only one I've got. I expect nothing from the Democrats, but I am hopeful that perhaps the Republicans may learn a few lessons.

So why did I write my essay saying the Democrats were moving too fast? Because that's what bloggers do, more than anything else. The Republicans didn't listen to me when I said they were screwing up, I expect no less from the Democrats. But, as small a voice as this is in the larger discourse, blogging is ultimately about trying to get your ideas into circulation. Will I change the course of the debate? No. But it's not inconceivable I could at least have some tiny influence on it. That's the best I can hope for, and it's better than nothing.

So, I'll continue to throw ideas up here for the foreseeable future, if for no other reason than because I can. If they have some tiny influence on the debate, so much the better.