Today I’m going to make the case that (if you take the time to think about it) Ebola should be a liberal issue, not a conservative one. Emotionally, it’s a conservative issue because it raises fear, and conservatism is all about taking drastic, angry action out of fear. But rationally, Ebola teaches liberal lessons: To beat this, we need to think like a society rather than like a collection of sovereign individuals. We need to think in ways unrelated to the profit motive. We need to care for the weak and helpless, even if they’re in some distant country. We need to trust in our scientists and our government, rather than react in fearful and ignorant ways.
And if you could reach back into the past and restore those CDC budget cuts, wouldn’t you do it? What other budget cuts will eventually turn out to be similarly short-sighted?
In the weekly summary, I’ll look at the Catholic Church’s Synod on the Family and what it tells about Pope Francis’ plans for change, at Paul Krugman’s case for the success of the Obama presidency, and at the Supreme Court’s mixed record on voting rights. And I’ll close with a very cute radio piece about turning third-graders into radio reporters.
Expect the Ebola piece about 10 EDT, and the summary around noon.
BTW: No Sift next week. Though if you’re near Bedford, Massachusetts on Sunday morning, you can come hear me speak.
The Weekly Sift 