In a well-reasoned post that destroys the myth of the virtues of Baseline Budgeting, specifically, Jeff Goldstein makes this more general point:
And there’s the nub: the politician[s] like [New York Governor Andrew] Cuomo know what’s going on. They also know that expressing public outrage over such things [as Baseline Budgeting] is likely enough to buy them the freedom to keep right on doing what it is they do. Both parties engage in this manipulative dance. And that’s because the whole oppositional party system has ceased to be, in any important sense: the two parties pretend to fight over the size and scope of government, but the truth is, both parties benefit from the consolidation of federal power and additional revenues taken from taxpayers. The rest is just a show — one that is used to keep us polarized politically and giving money to the party of our choice in order to defeat the party whose principles we oppose.
Both parties are concerned with holding political power and the benefits that come along such a position. They realize that, in order to make money, they have to put on various types of shows to keep the various audiences entertained and tuning-in. Being successful at this requires that there be various audiences in existence so that they can be set against each other. In other words, competition on both sides of the entertainment arrangement — audiences and performers — makes for a more successful show.
However, most of the Democrats are also fueled by a desire to control people’s lives — a longing and aspiration born out of the marriage of their Nihilism and Hubris [ie: their Ideology]. This is where the Left’s advantage over the Right lies: in the fact that the Left is in the thrall of a craving that can only be satisfied if they succeed. They are addicted to their whims, their dreams, because they are all the Left has.
The Republican Establishment lacks such an overwhelming compulsion — although they certainly possess more than enough Hubris.
However, the latter group also lacks what the conservatives and Classical Liberals have: beliefs that transcend mere politics. They understand that such things as having power and control over others don’t satisfy the Human Soul, don’t provide any lasting satisfaction or moral rewards.
We must persevere and keep fighting to restore the proper perspective because it is right and because it is our duty to the Creator, The Great Legislator Of The Universe, who gave us the gift of Life.
One Final Word: Hubris may help one achieve prominence in the field it is applied too, but, ‘just as sure as the turnin’ of the earth’, Nemesis will follow it, in time.
