Ross Douthat thinks they might be a thing of the past. For all the talk of Republican intransigence, I think that Paul Ryan and Alice Rivlin could get together to craft a left/right compromise – even one that includes higher taxes than anything Ryan has proposed. The problem is that Alice Rivlin isn’t in the White House and isn’t in the Democratic congressional leadership. the Democratic leadership probably also believes that their policy preferences will prevail in the end so there is no reason to compromise on structural issues (as distinct from short-term spending levels.)
Tuesday, January 8, 2013, 8:16 PM
January 9th, 2013 | 12:22 am
[...] Ross Douthat thinks they might be a thing of the past. For all the talk of Republican intransigence, I think that Paul Ryan and Alice Rivlin could get together to Source: Postmodern Conservative [...]
January 10th, 2013 | 4:23 pm
The White House motto could be, “Alice doesn’t live here anymore.” Nor does Erskine Bowles.
Some conservatives, like George Will, seem to be assuming that the current leftist ascendancy will collapse once we have to start seriously raising middle class taxes to fund the Obama-expanded welfare state. I am not so sure. The leftists seem confident that, when the time comes to pay the bill, they will be able to force through measures to raise enough revenue to avoid cuts they don’t want (that is, cuts in the scope of programs, as opposed to cuts in the quality of the services provided).
A sign of Obama’s intransigence, it is being reported, is the appointment of Lew for Treasury.
If I were younger, I would think about moving to another country. The Left is in the saddle everywhere, but not every developed country faces the devastation to the extent we do here.
January 10th, 2013 | 7:22 pm
“Some conservatives, like George Will, seem to be assuming that the current leftist ascendancy will collapse once we have to start seriously raising middle class taxes to fund the Obama-expanded welfare state. I am not so sure.”
Me neither – at least in the medium term of 20-30 years.
January 11th, 2013 | 12:36 am
Pete, your time-frame seems optimistic to me. I expect the Democrats to begin taking off their middle-class-friendly masks no later than 10 years from now. Their pundits are already salivating over vistas of higher taxes on virtually everyone. They seem to regard the transfer of private income to the government as a sacred act (without regard to what the government does with the money), much as the sacrifice of animals and produce at the Temple was sacred in ancient Israel.
January 11th, 2013 | 5:35 pm
DJF, I thought I was agreeing with you rather than Will. The 20-30 years was more of an endpoint (and more in the sense of who-can-tell-farther-out) than a startpoint.
January 11th, 2013 | 5:59 pm
Pete, I wasn’t looking to pick a fight. I agree, we’re on the same wavelength.
January 11th, 2013 | 6:03 pm
DJF, didn’t think you were, we were just talking past each other a bit (I plead guilty.)
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