The blog’s been quiet for a few days while I’ve been in DC on business. It was a busy and productive time that included attendance at the National Taxpayers Union annual conference across the river in Crystal City. Naturally, it was all politics, all the time.
While the trip provided enough blog fodder to carry on for a week, here are a few random observations.
First, Washington is a city that produces nothing but consumes everything. One of the unfortunate by-products of overreaching federal power is that everything – including supplicants and hangers-on of every description – flow to the District. Hence, every conceivable advocacy group has a permanent presence there. Some are permanent but others appear – funded by other persons or groups and serving a particular purpose or campaign – and then disappear with the people moving on to the next issue. There’s always someone doing something to somebody or something and the allegiances and coalitions involved constantly shift. The one thing that unites everybody, however, is the quest for funds. Everybody – and I mean everybody – is looking for dough, either from the government or from some other like-minded person or group.
Second, while there is a permanent population in DC, the city is largely overrun by transients who are there today, gone tomorrow. When you get beyond the permanent bureaucracy, there are political appointees, people who work in private political firms for two or three years and a vast army of interns. At times it seems that the city is composed entirely of 20-somethings. This is particularly apparent at night in popular watering holes. It’s all well-dressed young men and women who can’t hold their liquor.
Third, business in Washington is good. The city is awash in cash and the restaurants are packed. The Dems are in the saddle and the printing presses are humming – 24/7, I was told. The buzz is about the big programs in the pipeline, particularly health care and the cap ‘n trade bill. But I detected a shakiness about it all – even though the Dems are firmly in control, there’s a sense that the ground is shifting and everything could slip away. So the Dems are rushing. I think they know they have a short window and that time is not on their side.
Finally, there’s reason for optimism. Even at the moment of apparent triumph, the left is vulnerable – and they know it. As John Fund discussed at the NTU conference, the left can be soundly defeated – if we’re willing to fight. The left knows it and they’ve spend an inordinate amount of time and resources trying to convince all of us that we’re on the losing side. The message is, don’t believe it for a minute. We can take these guys if we’re willing to fight and fight smart.
It’s good to be back in Maine. More to come.
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