Wednesday, May 31, 2006
'Extremism' in American Politics
Extremism isn't always bad in politics. Especially when the 'extreme' policy is the right one. This piece by Jonah Goldberg is a must read.
While I could quote the whole thing, I will refrain and instead just quote one of the many great nuggets of truth that Mr. Goldberg has mined:
While I could quote the whole thing, I will refrain and instead just quote one of the many great nuggets of truth that Mr. Goldberg has mined:
On issue after issue, the Left and Right get into a tug-of-war over their preferred policy solutions. And politicians, extreme people-pleasers that they are, try to split the difference. The journalists who cover politicians are cynics and assume that true believers are by their very nature suspicious. Moreover, because politicians and mainstream journalists alike get the most grief from “partisans” of the Left and the Right, they both assume that the middle is the most enlightened place to be, since they think that’s where they are. But compromise is not always the smartest way to go. Leaping a canyon in one jump may or may not be stupidly extreme, but it’s a hell of lot smarter than the more moderate approach of trying to leap it in two jumps.
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