If you're a liberal, you probably beleive in the "safety net." You probably want to protect "entitlements" in face of the huge tax cuts that have been given to the wealthy.
But if you really believe in the liberal cause, you need to stop talking about safety nets and entitlements.
Here's why: when you use that language, you use the language of the right. The right wins when they can point to safety nets (full of waste and abuse) and entitlements (modest government programs now out of control because of a "dependent" class).
Paul Krugman is fond of saying that the US government is an insurance company with an army. I think that's dead on correct. Now--think about that for a minute. What does an insurance company do? It lets people share in covering their risks. When the government does it they do it to protect all citizens, not to make a profit. Our society has ratified this view of government since the New Deal days. Yes, the right would like to abolish it.
Continue reading "Why liberals need to rethink--and restate--what they really stand for" »