How Dems and Reps Differ: Against the Conventional Wisdom

… So what is the "key difference" between the parties? Rhetoric. When Republicans advocate a small contraction of the welfare state, Democrats claim that Republicans totally oppose the welfare state. And many Republicans oblige them by standing up for "liberty" and "responsibility." Similarly, when Democrats advocate a small expansion in the welfare state, Republican claim that Democrats oppose free markets. And many Democrats oblige them by saying things like "markets only benefit the rich."

This rhetorical illusion is so powerful that when a Democrat like Clinton adopts many pro-market reforms, Republicans still hate him as a 60s radical. And when Bush II sharply expands the welfare state, Democrats still hate him as a billionaire's lackey.

The second big misconception is that the parties' rhetoric makes sense on it's own terms. It doesn't. If Dems really cared about poor human beings, they would quit worrying about the American old, most of whom aren't poor. In fact, they would quit worrying about the American "poor," because by world standards, they're doing fine. Instead, Dems would concentrate all their efforts on helping absolutely poor foreigners, presumably through a mixture of permitting massive immigration, and redirecting welfare to the world's bottom billions.

Similarly, if Reps really cared about "over-burdened" tax-payers, they would try to diminish the burden in the only sustainable way: Big cuts in spending. They would be crusading against the popular programs like Social Security and Medicare that absorb most of our tax dollars. While they're at it, they might want to do a little cost/benefit analysis of the War on Terror. …