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general freedom ideological culture national politics & policies too much government

The Great Ideological Divide?

When I was a kid, both Democrats and Republicans sported “conservative” and “liberal” wings as well as “moderate” leaders and representatives.

Now, conservatives have pretty much corralled themselves into the GOP, and liberals into the Democratic Party.

Why? Birds of a feather?

Ezra Klein offers some interesting observations in “This is what makes Republicans and Democrats so different”:

  • “Democrats are motivated by specific policy deliverables while Republicans are motivated by broader philosophical principles”;
  • “Democrats rely on more interest groups than Republicans” do;
  • “Democrats prefer politicians who compromise, and Republicans prefer politicians who stick to their principles”;
  • “Policymaking has a liberal bias — even when Republicans do it.”

Klein also draws on research by political scientists Matthew Grossmann and David Hopkins, who in their paper, “Policymaking in Red and Blue,” conclude that “the Republican Party is dominated by ideologues who are committed to small-​government principles, while Democrats represent a coalition of social groups seeking public policies that favor their particular interests.”

Interest groups demanding that their “particular interests” be addressed with more “deliverables” from government would certainly explain a strong Democratic Party bias in favor of more government. Klein seems to be saying that Democrats are led, as if by an invisible hand, in the socialistic direction.

But why does a Republican Party supposedly “dominated” by those with “small-​government principles” also advance policies that grow big government? “New policies usually expand the scope of government responsibility, funding, or regulation,” Grossmann and Hopkins point out.

Perhaps Republican politicians are more influenced by their own position in government than by the views of their base voters.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.


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Categories
free trade & free markets

Big Box, Big Apple

Whether to let a business open up should not hinge on opinion polls. But a recent survey of New Yorkers does underscore the absurdity of banning Wal-​Mart from the Big Apple.

If you’re used to seeing a Wal-​Mart every 30 miles, you may be surprised to learn that there’s not a single Wal-​Mart in New York’s five boroughs. Unions have marshaled political clout to keep the company out. Now, with the store again trying to gain a foothold in the area, “community” activist Pat Boone complains that “We need good paying jobs, not minimum wage jobs.” Wal-​Mart pays more than minimum wage. But ask yourself: Is no pay for no work really better than a reasonable entry-​level wage that sustains some folks’ homes and hearths?

And who is the “we” that this “community” activist speaks of? The unemployed workers who would flock to the job-​application lines if Wal-​Mart came to town? The 71 percent of New Yorkers who, according to Douglas Schoen’s survey of 1000 New Yorkers, would cram the store’s aisles?

Too often, political power caters to interest groups eager to force others to conform to their own way of thinking. Markets, by contrast, are all about offering a value and then letting people decide for themselves whether they want to pay for it.

So let Wal-​Mart open up, New York. Let honest, hard-​working people get the best deals for food and supplies.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.