Political Cortex: Brain Food for the Body Politic

President Bush, like the great presidents before him, will bring to us what Abraham Lincoln so eloquently described as "A new birth of freedom." Let us give thanks.

Now it's clear even to the most wild-eyed wing nut that the policies of the Bush administration have failed on every front.  But this recognition doesn't include the idea that there might be anything wrong with the concepts behind conservatism.  Of course not.  Instead, they've decided that Bush isn't a real conservative, and that their ideas just didn't get a fair shake.  

They're demonstrating the second great truism of conservatism: if something isn't working, you need to do it more.  

Yes, the people who took beating your head against a stone wall and recast it as "staying the course," are at it again.  Are your tax cuts causing record deficits?  Cut them more and you're sure to see results.  Is your military adventurism proving to be a disaster?  Just invade another country and show them all.   Still not enough?  Declare World War III.

But while the conservatives try once again to paint themselves as folks who will get it right next time, Democrats should remember that they shouldn't be afraid to bypass Bush and take on conservatives head on.  Because conservatism doesn't work.

That's not a matter of opinion.  That's not a "clash of philosophies."  The truth is, there's nothing to back up conservative ideas.  They've been tried in the marketplace over, and over, and they plain don't work.

Trickle down economics?  Doesn't work.  There's absolutely no evidence that more money awarded to the upper income brackets means more money in the average pocket.  In fact, we've seen the average wage falling while those at the top have made steady gains.  It doesn't work.

The Laffer Curver, foundation of the conservatives "cut taxes to stimulate the economy," doesn't work.  Not only does it not work, it's not even decent economic theory.  It's never been anything more than a cooked up justification for tax cuts, and never been taken seriously by economists.  Cutting taxes at the top end gives bigger deficits and puts a higher burden on the lower and middle classes.  There no evidence it does it helps the economy.  Period.

Intervening in another country to get a more "friendly" government, doesn't work.  It doesn't matter whether you're sending the CIA into Central America, or the troops into Iraq, the result is always -- always -- losses of life and money that generates a result worse than where you started.  People will not thank you for meddling in their country, no matter how much of a favor you may think you're doing for them.

Reducing environmental regulations creates jobs?  No.  Free trade raises all boats?  No.  

The conservatives are shooting blanks.  Gingrich can growl all he wants.  Limbaugh can bellow.  Coulter accuse.  But the truth is they got nothing.  Nothing.  And Democrats shouldn't be afraid to shove that truth right back into their jabbering faces.