A question for the fair and balanced reader

Kevin Drum asks an interesting question: [I]is there any subject among liberals that has the same totemic appeal as tax cutting does to conservatives? As near as I can tell, every single Republican running for president publicly says that cutting taxes always raises revenues ? even though the idea is as absurd as Ron Paul’s ...

By , a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast.

Kevin Drum asks an interesting question: [I]is there any subject among liberals that has the same totemic appeal as tax cutting does to conservatives? As near as I can tell, every single Republican running for president publicly says that cutting taxes always raises revenues ? even though the idea is as absurd as Ron Paul's gold standard crankiness. Ditto for the Heritage Foundation, AEI, the Wall Street Journal editorial page, etc. etc. Deviate from the party line, as Bruce Bartlett has, and you're quickly excommunicated. Liberals agree on lots of things, but I just can't think of anything that's enforced quite as ruthlessly as the conservative party line on tax cuts. Any ideas?OK, fair and balanced readers... have at it. [Your two cents?--ed. There's an easy and a hard answer. The easy answer is what's enforced ruthlessly right now vs. what's been enforced ruthlessly over the past two decades. I think I have at least one answer to the former question (don't touch Social Security). My only answer for the latter would be abortion rights.

Kevin Drum asks an interesting question:

[I]is there any subject among liberals that has the same totemic appeal as tax cutting does to conservatives? As near as I can tell, every single Republican running for president publicly says that cutting taxes always raises revenues ? even though the idea is as absurd as Ron Paul’s gold standard crankiness. Ditto for the Heritage Foundation, AEI, the Wall Street Journal editorial page, etc. etc. Deviate from the party line, as Bruce Bartlett has, and you’re quickly excommunicated. Liberals agree on lots of things, but I just can’t think of anything that’s enforced quite as ruthlessly as the conservative party line on tax cuts. Any ideas?

OK, fair and balanced readers… have at it. [Your two cents?–ed. There’s an easy and a hard answer. The easy answer is what’s enforced ruthlessly right now vs. what’s been enforced ruthlessly over the past two decades. I think I have at least one answer to the former question (don’t touch Social Security). My only answer for the latter would be abortion rights.

Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner

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