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Reading and listening to what passes for the “liberal press” in the popular imagination, you’d never know anything about the key differences in these two examples of presidential campaign tactics.

The political right has understood for years that the goal of “seeking balance” in news delivery (something, by the way, most intelligent adults in other developed countries see as neither possible nor desirable) can be manipulated time and time again in their favor. Conservatives correctly see it as an effective means of making the trivialities they want to circulate significant. They know that the Mara Liassons of the world have no stomach for discerning the truth. Reporters, meanwhile, understand that their desire to remain “in the loop” and out of trouble with the right-wing attack machine is really their paramount concern. Democracy is not possible under these conditions.

10 October 2008

Junk by Design

The health care plan that is wending its way through Congress is junk. It will do nothing to stop the ungodly ascent of health care prices. In fact, it is likely to accelerate this upward trend. The reason is simple. It contains virtually no incentives for exercising downward pressure on costs.