Thorstein Veblen (Image via Wikipedia)Read related » Red Herring Politics: Part II
[This related article is recommended in its entirety.]
“One of the big distracting talking points is that the Republicans in Congress have been "the party of No." Given the overwhelming majorities of the Democrats in both houses, in addition to their control of the White House, whether the Republicans said "yes," "no" or "maybe" could not stop the Democrats from doing anything they wanted to do. It should also be noted that the Democrats were in power in Congress before President Obama got to the White House. So "the mess" that he constantly reminds us he "inherited" includes runaway spending by Congressional Democrats, of whom Senator Barack Obama was one of the more prominent big spenders. […] [Senator Reid] has what Thorstein Veblen once called a "versatility of convictions." So do a lot of "experienced" politicians. […] We have already seen in 2008 what can happen when voters fail to pay attention to a presidential candidate's track record, and let themselves be dazzled by rhetoric, symbolism and media hype. We are losing not only our jobs but our country -- and this could be our last chance to stop the Obama-Pelosi-Reid juggernaut.” [emphasis added]
— Thomas Sowell, 2010/10/06 (townhall.com)
A "versatility of convictions" is a euphemism, albeit a clever one, for "say anything to get elected; then do whatever the highest bidder wants". Or, in less mercenary terms, "espouse the party line during the campaign; then, if elected, shift towards the center (or in the opposite direction)".
In any case, no political party or individual politician has cornered the market on the "versatility of convictions". Not only is the supply of versatility unlimited, but the convictions themselves are based on elastic principles: recall Bill Clinton's gem, "It depends on what the meaning of "is" is".
So what is a poor trusting (but also desiring some verification) voter to do? Basically, you must discount practically all the political rhetoric. If it quacks like a duck, it could just be a wolf in sheep's clothing! On the other hand, if it wants to redistribute your wealth, you can bet the farm it's a frickin' socialist.
Where does this leave you? Pay close attention to the politician's public record, assuming he has one. But take whatever he says with a goodly portion of industrial-strength salt. If all else fails, vote the incumbent bums out!
And don't forget: everybody lies, especially the wolf in sheep's clothing, who quacks like a duck, and transmogrifies into a red herring.
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