The House of Ideas

That's what Marvel used to call itself, back when I read comic-books at least. That's about the extent of my own comic-book knowledge, but I figured Ace's readers might appreciate the memory.

Ron Brownstein doesn't call the GOP the House of Ideas -- not quite -- but he does seem to understand that the intellectual momentum is moving from right to center:

From Social Security, to intervention in the sad case of Terri Schiavo, to the appointment of conservative federal judges, every major debate positions the parties in the same way: Republicans are on offense, Democrats on defense.

The debate on the federal budget isn't about whether to raise taxes to reduce the deficit, it's over how much more to cut taxes. Washington isn't examining how to expand coverage for those without health insurance, but whether to cut the Medicaid program that provides the central strand in our society's safety net.

...

Former Democratic presidential candidate and former Sen. Bill Bradley last week suggested that the party faced this problem because it had not developed enough compelling ideas.

There's some truth to that; congressional Democrats, for instance, have made a tactical decision not to offer an alternative to Bush's Social Security initiative.

...

Only future elections will settle [these debates]. But both analyses point to the same conclusion: The fate of both parties hangs mostly on the public's verdict about Republican ideas.

Update: Serendipitious brilliance is catchy on Ace's site. JackM. points out that GOP Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska wears an Incredible Hulk tie when girding for political battle.

posted by Hoke at 01:05 PM

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