TOKYO
When Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party stormed back to power in last month’s parliamentary elections, news stories in the West described the landslide as a resounding victory for conservatives in a vote driven by economic anxiety. Voters in 2009 had replaced the long-ruling Liberal Democrats — the more conservative party, its name notwithstanding — with a left-leaning coalition that had failed to pull the country out of a prolonged decline. Now the electorate had shifted decidedly rightward, and a conservative former prime minister, Shinzo Abe, was back in the saddle.
Comments
Mr. Jacoby could learn from Japan's conservatives, if he only would take off his Tea Party-colored glasses. The notion that the Tea Party was anything other than a wholey-owned subsidiary of FreedomWorks and other proto-Birchers in the Republican Party is simply not tenable. Carteresque malaise? Oh my, one wonders why the Globe keeps throwing bad money after bad money in keeping Mr. Jacoby as a columnist ... he is moving around within a bubble and has nothing to offer. He could, of course, star in a Ricky Gervais American reality show, a counterpart to his 'An Idiot Abroad' show, which might be 'An Idiot At Home' in Boston. What has he said in the last several years that has been correct or insightful? To ask is to answer, a rhetorical device. Absolutely nothing. this column another exhibit.
I've been a critic of Jeff Jacoby's articles many times, and posted many critical replies to his articles, but I think his characterization of the "Carteresquee malaise" that led to Reagan's election is supported by the evidence.
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Repeatedly, the scandinavian countries get the nod for being the happest countries. The have a 50% tax rate, No one worries about health care, education, retirement.
Nobody worries about getting rich or being poor, either. How boring.
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A free jaunty to Japan to turn out a column he has written 100 times. Isn't the private sector great.
The Jacoby haters never stop. He could say that the sky is blue and they would attack him for being a conservative.
And, especially in that case, a not very insightful one. Name me a liberal writer that You wouldn't attack, Ozzy.
Whether he's right or wrong in one's opinion, I think Jeff tries to do his homework and get his facts straight I don't think he is conservative or liberal. He tries only to base his conclusions on the facts as he sees them. Let's get rid of those useless terms, liberal or conservative, in political discussions. They are only meaningless, derisive labels. I might add that the Globe must love him because people must read him if we can conclude anything from today's five commentators.
"Let's get rid of those useless terms, liberal or conservative, in political discussions." How are we going to do that? Maybe you don't see JJ as conservative or liberal because he has a serious libertarian streak, but on most of the more controversial issues he does take the conservative side. ... Usually there is quite a bit more commentary than today btw- some other columnist must have stolen JJ's thunder.
Incidently, I have read your biographical paragraph on your profile page and found it very interesting. My hat's off to you sir.
"(T)he conservative surge in the United States two years earlier, when the largest Republican majority in 60 years swept to control of the House of Representatives. It was a triumph for Tea Party conservatives committed to smaller government, lower taxes, individual liberty, and free enterprise."
If only it were just about that. You conveniently left out the racism (tea party denials notwithstanding) along with all the anti-immigrant, anti-women, anti-gay and anti-everything-not-white-male garbage.