Comments on: AMUSED

By: cosmic grappler

cosmic grappler — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

Dean suggests balancing the budget is a good thing. That makes him profoundly more fiscally conservative than this borrow and spend administration who have wiped out the surplus, racked up record deficits, and gone back on their word about Social Security. Not to mention their abandonment of basic conservative principles such as states rights, individual liberty and smaller government. Yeah, compared to these radicals, Dean looks like old-school Goldwater or Reagan.

By: markus

markus — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

I think Sullivan is too timid here, I'd say if you're a fiscal conservative Dean is the only option (assuming it's Dean vs. Bush). Admittedly, we can't be sure whether Dean will live up to his promisses, but we _know_ Bush is not a fiscal conservative. Whether you like Bush for other reasons or hate him, no one can claim he's a fiscal conservative. So if you vote on fiscal conservatism Dean is the only option.

By: JohnC

JohnC — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

True 'nuff. Talk about blind ideology. It's truly sad to see once proud conservatives supporting this astounding amount of crap. It seems that as long as Bush doesn't get some nooky on the side, they're willing to not only follow him into the pit of hell, they're willing to dig it for him as well. These guys have all joined the "cult of the critical parent". They need to lighten up and take more vacations. Maybe drink a glass or two of wine a week.

By: Paul

Paul — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

I love all the liberals whining about deficits, balanced budgets and spending... fun to watch.

By: Chris Lawrence

Chris Lawrence — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

Howard Dean is exactly as fiscally conservative as the political environment in Vermont requires him to be (and no more). Stick him in Washington and he'll make LBJ look like a fiscal conservative.

By: markus

markus — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

@ Paul: I love to see conservatives advocating "big government", looks like they're trying real hard to get rid of their credibility ;) However, I think it's a sad spectacle, not fun to watch. @ Chris, I read your post, am delighted to see that you're above the "tax-theft" nonsense and think you and matthew have a good point. Still, I think we are in agreement, that Bush is a big government conservative and Dean would have to work hard to equal him, though I admit he might. However, there is the deficit. While we can disagree whether Dean would spend as much as Bush or more, we know, and the Petrified Truth post you linked to actually reinforces this point, we know that Dean only spends what he has left to spend. Last time I checked, fiscal sanity was a key element of fiscal conservatism.

By: Petrified Truth

Petrified Truth — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

Dean the fiscal conservative? James Joyner at Outside the Beltway (a favorite blog) says: I'm apparently in a silly mood this morning. I found this line from Andrew Sullivan more amusing than I should: "If you're a fiscal conservative, Howard Dean is beginning to...

By: Signifying Nothing

Signifying Nothing — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

"Fiscal conservatism" and the War on Terror
Today’s flap: Andrew Sullivan said, based on news that federal employment is at its peak since 1990: The sheer profligacy of this administration continues to...

By: PoliBlog

PoliBlog — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

Fiscal Conservative?
James of OTB quotes Sully on the issue of Howard Dean as fiscal conservative. I have to say, ok, fine, the Vermont budget was balanced under Dean, and he likes to talk about doing the same at the national level....

---