The Liberal Whisperer, Part XVI

Liberal: I don't understand how anyone could be against this health care bill.

Conservative: We don't want more government involvement in our lives.

Liberal: But you'll take Social Security!

Conservative: But that's already in place.

Liberal: I still don't understand why anyone could be against this bill.

Conservative: Even if it were a good idea, we can't afford it right now.

Liberal: Why can't this huge Democratic supermajority get this thing done? Bush got everything he wanted for eight years without a supermajority. Absolutely everything.

Conservative: You mean like Social Security reform, Harriet Meiers, the Dubai Ports deal, and Immigration Reform?

Liberal: I would respect the Republican's position more if they did something more than just object to the House and Senate bills.

Conservative: Well, the Republicans have tried to offer suggestions and amendments to the Democratic bills, but they've been blocked. In some cases they've been physically barred from attending meetings on the subject. In spite of all that, they have offered a much smaller and non-intrusive bill for consideration. So you should respect them now.

Liberal: I still don't understand why anyone could be against this bill.

There really is no talking to these people. They not only aren't listening, they couldn't even process the facts at hand if they did listen.

And I've learned that there is no greater political and philosphical meter for reading the core of this nation than the degree to which liberals run away from their own views in public. Conservatives are, and have always been, proud to espouse and own their views (even when they fail to live up to them): smaller government, lower taxes, and a strong America at home and abroad. Liberals are almost never willing to admit what their policies really are: large and intrusive government, high taxes, and a neutered, internationalized America.

When Obama won last fall a fair number of people figured it was a core realignment and that somehow, decades of basic American conservatism had shifted to liberal leftism, and from Obama on down the liberals threw off their cloaks of moderation and have scampered to the left.

How wrong they've turned out to be. The next few months should be entertaining, at least.