BuckeyeBlog

In a time when most pundits merely parrot banal talking points in support of their political party or make wild accusations in order to get media attention, George Will stands increasingly alone. He is erudite, well-read, and isn’t afraid to disagree with his party when it stops living up to its ideals. Case in point: his column today, where he exposes the anti-market actions of both John McCain and George W. Bush. God bless you, Mr. Will:

In any case, McCain’s smear — that [SEC Chairman Chris] Cox “betrayed the public’s trust” — is a harbinger of a McCain presidency. For McCain, politics is always operatic, pitting people who agree with him against those who are “corrupt” or “betray the public’s trust,” two categories that seem to be exhaustive — there are no other people. McCain’s Manichaean worldview drove him to his signature legislative achievement, the McCain-Feingold law’s restrictions on campaigning. Today, his campaign is creatively finding interstices in laws intended to restrict campaign giving and spending….

The political left always aims to expand the permeation of economic life by politics. Today, the efficient means to that end is government control of capital. So, is not McCain’s party now conducting the most leftist administration in American history? The New Deal never acted so precipitously on such a scale. Treasury Secretary Paulson, asked about conservative complaints that his rescue program amounts to socialism, said, essentially: This is not socialism, this is necessary. That non sequitur might be politically necessary, but remember that government control of capital is government control of capitalism. Does McCain have qualms about this, or only quarrels?

Saw the darndest thing coming to work this morning. The Straight Talk Express was parked right there on Third Street in the middle of rush hour, a sure place to get towed and quick — and what do you know but a Columbus police car was parked right behind it, lights on. I’d hate to see that ticket. I’d hate to see the tow truck big enough to haul that thing off to impound, too.

“They cannot and will not fail,” presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain told reporters.

Great. A fierce competition to see who is the biggest socialist.

Everything can fail. Everything. Especially government, and most especially government that shuts off the private markets. And when governments fail, people are quite likely to die as a result. Everyone is better off when private markets are allowed to function, and the single greatest characteristic of private markets is exactly failure.

Thank God for it. It’s the only thing that allows success.

The Goldwater Institute points out, it is Obama, not McCain, who acted conservatively when it comes to campaign finance: Three Cheers for Obama’s Rejection of Government Money for Campaign.