From: "Paul Hager" <hagerp@moose.cs.indiana.edu>
Subject: Re: Clinton in _Rolling Stone_ on civil liberties and the WOD
Organization: Computer Science, Indiana University
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 00:30:13 -0500

starr@genie.slhs.udel.edu (Tim Starr) writes:

>In article <1992Sep2.234829.25589@news.cs.indiana.edu> hagerp@moose.cs.indiana.edu (Paul Hager) writes:
>}Why am I supporting this idiot?  I need a mantra.
>}
>}	Remember abortion rights, remember abortion rights, ...
>}
>}That doesn't seem to be a very good one because I it doesn't make
>}me feel better about supporting him.

>A much better reason to support Clinton is to kill of the Religious Right,
>or at least take 'em out of the agenda-drivers' seat.  Frankly, though, if
>the Democrats were smart, they'd give about $3 million to the Libertarians,
>because we could get a lot more bang for the buck, doing a lot more damage to
>Bush with that than they could.

Cogent analysis.  It is possible that we are witnessing the end of
the Fundies stranglehold on the Republican Party and, hence, American
politics.  The fault lines in the Republican Party are there for
everyone to see.  If a whole bunch of candidates supported by Fundies
go down the tubes -- reversing the slaughter of the Fundy targets 
back in 1980 -- it will be a major psychological and political defeat
for them.  They will be seen, rightly or wrongly, as being a political
liability and will be unable to, as you say, drive the agenda in the
post-election environment.

>}A tangent:
>}While I'm thinking about it, I should mention that P.J. O'Rourke is
>}a Republican, although he calls himself a "libertarian" Republican.
>}That's a bit like being a libertarian Nazi, isn't it?

>Not really.  There's been a libertarian wing of the Republicans since the
>New Deal.  Nowadays it includes the gay and lesbian Log Cabin club, Milton
>Friedman, and Massachusetts governor William Weld.  They've been beaten by
>the theofascists this election, but when Bush loses, they'll have to settle
>for separation of abortion and state, school and state, Art and state, that
>sort of thing.  Then, after we have another economically disastrous Southern
>Democrat presidential administration (double digit inflation within 2 years,
>I bet), the Republicans can nominate Weld for president, and we'll have a
>much better situation than at present.

Could be.  I think Clinton's administration may well be a disaster,
less because of Clinton than because the budget/credit problem is
so intractable.  Clinton will be inheriting a god-awful mess that
is made worse by the fact that traditional methods for goosing the
economy aren't likely to work: cutting taxes ups the deficit which
is a drain on the credit markets; raising taxes cools off the economy;
increasing spending without raising taxes ups the deficit; cutting
spending cools off the economy; etc, etc, etc.  Clinton might be able
to get a handle on things in one term but the odds are against him.
I see no evidence that he is willing to adminster the castor oil
to the body politic that might allow the problems to be addressed --
i.e., I see no evidence that the Clinton program is making a serious
attempt to deal with "the mess" and tell the public that it's going
to be very painful.

>}There, I feel better already.  If O'Rourke can support Bush without
>}chundering, I can hold my gorge while supporting Clinton.  I think.
>}Yes, my proper role is to cancel P.J. O'Rourke's vote.

>When P.J. was on Leno he told the story of what his mother said when the FDR
>stamp came out: "I've been having trouble using that new stamp - I keep spitting
>on the wrong side!"  Hilarious!  He's from a VERY republican family, so it's
>good that he's as liberal as he is.

Maybe the liberal Republicans will rise again.  I've predicted that
cannabis would be legalized in the mid-90s and that conservatives
would be in the forefront of the legalization movement.  We'll see
what happens.

>Tim Starr - Renaissance Now! - Think Universally, Act Selfishly
>starr@genie.slhs.udel.edu

>"True greatness consists in the use of a powerful understanding to enlighten
>oneself and others." - Voltaire
-- 
paul hager		hagerp@moose.cs.indiana.edu

"I would give the Devil benefit of the law for my own safety's sake."
                       --from _A_Man_for_All_Seasons_ by Robert Bolt
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