Monday, November 5, 2012

Obama vs Romney: Why We Need a Centrist Party


This presidential election offers America two possible paths: the road to serfdom or the road to plutocracy.

That at least is the fear that Obama and Romney spark in their opponents... and yes, the risk really is there.

For Obama, it is a textbook case: the path he is on -- bigger government programs, bigger government debt -- are possibly the early stages of the sort of statism that was described by von Hayek in The Road to Serfdom.  His policies certainly seem to lead to widespread unemployment, government dependency and European style economic anemia.

For Romney, the government-by-and-for-the-rich suspicion is warranted by the candidate's famous inconsistency, by his lack of the common touch and by the huge amounts of money he has raised from extremely wealthy individuals... which leads to a suspicion that his real core principle is to say whatever gets him elected, and that he has a class interest in protecting and expanding the power and privilege of the extremely rich.

Not a great choice for the apprehensive centrist.

Personally I keep hoping for a better choice, for a centrist candidate and party that manages to blend concerns for liberty, humanity, the environment and fiscal responsibility better than either candidate or party are doing now.  I believe there are a huge number of Americans who would support a party that was fiscally conservative but socially liberal, that addressed problems like the environment and health care with better more efficient solutions that work well, take care of everyone's needs, but keep government small and local, and do not bust the bank.

That third party may not presently exist.  But it should.

I don't want to vote for Obama or Romney.  I want a better choice.


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