Read this in the WCF Courier over the weekend. Don't agree with all of it but it did have some interesting points.
Before the election someone asked me why Obama wasn't more specific about his plans if elected. I responded that if he were more specific and detailed he risked alienating some of those that supported the high level ideas that he championed. It was in his best interest to stay at 10,000 feet until elected. Obama was a perfect storm for a Democratic victory and he ran a brilliant campaign to take advantage of the situation he was presented.After nearly two years on the trail, the audience can pretty much anticipate and recite his lines. The political genius of the man is that he is a blank slate. The devotees can project onto him what they wish."
I found this statement extremely interesting. I hadn't thought about the differences between liberals and conservatives this way but it does make some sense.Over a hundred years ago, liberalism branched into two camps based on the relative importance of liberty and equality.
- One branch, which is quite close to what we now call conservatism, believed that liberty was more important than equality.
- The other maintained that equality was more important than liberty.