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- Matt Yglesias says, "The modern American conservative movement does not care -- even a little bit -- about the size of the budget deficit," which requires a bit of clarification, I think. The Republican Party -- demonstrably -- does not care about the budget deficit, but I'm sure some movement conservatives do as a matter of principle. But insofar as there is overlap between the party and the movement on this issue, they are each seeking different things. Republicans want power, and whining about the deficit is one way to get there. Conservatives are chiefly concerned with destroying the welfare state, and whining about the deficit is one way to get there.
- Another issue where the priorities of Republicans and conservatives are subtly distinct is the unending chorus of "vote fraud" allegations. For Republicans, this is essentially a base-mobilization tactic, irrespective of whether they actually believe Democrats are rigging the election. But conservatives continue to insist that this fraud is happening on a scale to make a difference, despite clear evidence that it is not. Why? I would surmise this stems from their belief that Democrats and liberals are an illegitimate force in American politics and that the only way they ever win elections is through theft and deception.
- David Boaz marshals some pretty weak evidence that American politics are shifting in a "libertarian direction," based on a few selective polling results. See, more Americans now support marijuana legalization and same-sex marriage! They're libertarian! They favor "smaller government," truly the essence of opinion survey precision. And of course, nothing is more "libertarian" than disapproval of the president. If conservatives suffer from the delusion that the public is unswervingly conservative, then libertarians suffer from the eternal hope that the public is constantly in a state of becoming.
- Remainders: Obviously, passing health-care reform didn't create the Tea Party, and the source of the ACA's general unpopularity isn't too difficult to understand; a new political science blog debuts with a couple great posts; Justin Wolfers nails the fundamental calculation of the professional pundit; and a Tea Party taxonomy.
-- Mori Dinauer
