Political ideology: A moving target?

During Bill Clinton's two terms as president, many were convinced this country would remain irrevocably left of center, as even more people became dependent on, or employed by government. During George Bush's two terms, he did nothing to stop government growth or spending; and never had control of Congress with the majorities the Democrats have now. So now it seems we are drifting even further left.

Yet inconsistencies abound. Despite Obamamania, 59 percent of voters say Obama's America is on the wrong track. (This sounds more like the George Bush era.) And by a 2-to-1 margin, Americans say their political views have become more conservative - 39 percent to 18 percent according to a recent Gallup poll. I find that hard to believe given the results of the 2008 elections which resulted in large Democrat majorities in the House and Senate.

Within moderate and conservative groups, a majority says their political ideology has gotten more conservative in recent years. Similarly within the liberal group, 42 percent say they have gotten more liberal. This may provide a clue, since the driving force behind the Democrats is their extreme left, led by Obama, his czars, and the Democratic Congress which is crafting laws to not only socialize the U.S., but which will bankrupt us at the same time. Even in the middle of a recession, the Democratic leadership, flush with victory, and convinced Republicans have self destructed, are engaging in unsustainable spending, a dramatic expansion of government, and lots of arcane new taxes. The rest of the Democrats - their fellow travelers - may be having buyer's remorse in some red states because the sea of red ink - no pun - is becoming more visible even at state and local levels, as governments scramble to avoid bankruptcy. (The red ink is more pronounced in the blue states.)

My view is that the extreme left leadership in the White House and Congress along with the czars, MoveOn. Org, ACORN, the unions, George Soros, and other internationalists - is anxious for the U.S. to become a compliant player in a U.N. which will provide our necessary leadership. (To get along - go along.) Innovation, entreprenurialism, wealth building for capital formation and jobs is anathema with this crowd. The last thing they want to see is a rebirth of the America of old. Their vision is a nation of socialists led by its largest employer - government. The timing is right. Our economy is sputtering, wages are flat, and the U.S. will be playing second fiddle to other nations that will probably spark the global economic recovery.

Gary Shilling, economist, and columnist for Forbes since 1983, has calculated that 58 percent of the population is dependent on the government for "major parts of their income," including teachers, other government employees, Social Security recipients, government pensioners etc. By 2018 he estimates 67 percent of the population will be dependent on government for their livelihood. On top of all this depressing news, food stamp recipients have tripled since 2000. And then we have the baby boomers coming on line - who will further threaten the solvency of Social Security, and place a heavy burden of Medicaid with long term care costs.

Obviously something has to give, or government will be the whole economy - which would be clearly unsustainable over time - because the private sector has to function profitably to pay taxes - the lifeblood of any government.

Although it may seem counter-intuitive, this may be the reason why Americans seem to be moving ideologically right of center. What is intuitive is that most of us know that the private sector has to provide the jobs. I knew that as a kid years ago. My boss is what mattered - not the government. State, local and the federal government can't hire everybody. This may be why Obamamania is cooling down. People are more interested in the economy rather than the idealistic socialism promoted by the White House and Congress. Real jobs are what matter. There is only so much wealth to be redistributed, and that wealth isn't created by government.

Obama's senior socialist big government advisors might have been the change managers he had in mind during the campaign, but what America desperately needs are dreaded capitalists who will create the future - jobs.

It has been said capitalism works better than it sounds, while socialism sounds better than it works. That could well be the rationale behind this shift in American economic ideology. You might have to keep an eye on these entrepreneurial guys, but as Robert Samuelson observed, "It can be said of capitalism what Winston Churchill once said about democracy - it is the worst possible system, except for all others."