We Didn’t Know

That’s what guys like David Brooks, Chris Buckley and other ‘Obama conservatives’ are now saying about Hope ‘n Change. They really thought he was a ‘moderate’ Democrat and would govern from the center.

This in spite of his associations (Chicago machine, ACORN, Billy Ayers, Jeremiah Wright, Saul Alinsky) and his voting record in the Illinois legislature and U.S. Senate (entirely to the left). In spite of numerous public pronouncements during the campaign.

But the mea culpas ring hollow. It takes a peculiar blindness to deny what’s obvious to the average citizen.

How could they not know after Hope ‘n Change gave the game away during this primary debate exchange with Charlie Gibson? Even Gibson understands the basic economic point – that when we lower capital gains rates, government revenues go up. So why would Hope ‘n Change want to raise the cap gains rate and deprive the government of revenue?

Answer: he wants to ‘fairness‘ those rich people. Meaning us, of course.

Hope ‘n Change’s answer to Gibson’s question is straight from the primitive left – that he’s willing to diminish the public purse to get even. Worse, his answer is dishonest: the tax on capital gains is a separate tax paid by everyone who owns stock or invests in a mutual fund, regardless of income level.

And they say they didn’t know.

Tagged as: Barack Obama, capital gains, Christopher Buckley, David Brooks, leftism