One of the (many) things that bug me most about today’s Republican Party is the hypocrisy. If only Republicans were actually interested in fiscal conservatism, in less government interference in our lives, well, then I’d vote for them. But when their idea of less government interference in our lives means more interference in our bedrooms, well…
Anyway. Andrew Leonard in Salon writes about the off-shore drilling debate, and therein lies a perfect illustration of the mismatch of Republican rhetoric with Republican action.
…the most fascinating aspect to the debate about offshore drilling — to this profound choice between two worldviews, two ways of being on the planet — is the harsh light it sheds on the value systems at the heart of how political identity is traditionally seen in the United States.
Republicans have made hay for decades by portraying Democrats as spendthrift, reckless liberals. Their side is supposedly “conservative” — sober-minded, prudent, levelheaded — while their opponents are “radical” — dangerous, risky, foolish.
But what is the truly “conservative” position on offshore drilling, or energy policy in general? Recklessly exhausting all available resources now, and letting the future take care of itself — or conserving those resources, investing carefully for the future, and thinking about the long term? Where does prudence reside — in attempting to shave a few pennies off of gas prices now, or on planning on how to cope with high gas prices for the foreseeable future?
If you’re looking for a metaphor, try the competing fortunes of Toyota and General Motors on for size. George Bush and John McCain are like the fin-de-siecle executives of GM, living only in the present, catering to their customer’s worst impulses in pursuit of maximizing profit in the short term. But Democrats are like Toyota, making a bet on what makes economic sense for the future.
Presumably, Toyota’s shareholders are a lot happier than GM’s, right now. As shareholders in this planet, what do we want? A good quarter now, at the risk of financial disaster next year? Or a long-term ecologically healthy path to sustained prosperity?
That’s what the debate over offshore drilling is really about.
