QUOTE OF THE DAY.

I believe the Liberal left continues to treat “we’re smarter than you” as their trump card. It is the fount of their scorn. It is proof of their political qualification. It is the argument that “proves” that they are right and “those bastards” are wrong. It was their charge against Reagan. It is their charge against Bush. This is one of the mightiest planks of their platform.

There are two problems here.

First, the charge of intellectual inadequacy absolves the Liberal Left from having to take the ideas of the Right seriously. It is indeed a way of arguing that the Right does not have ideas, that it is merely the mouth piece of vested interests. Ironically, the claim to intellectual superiority serves as warrant for an anti-intellectual act.

Second, there is a vicious circle at work here. When the Liberal left supposes that they are smarter, they underestimate the opponent. When they underestimate the opponent, they lose when they might have won. By insisting they are smarter, they give up a chance for victory.

The post is evidence that scholars who start on the left can in fact mature. It also exposes a "strategery" that both President Reagan and the current President Bush have used to good advantage, namely, letting their opponents "misunderestimate" them.

As far as that "we're smarter than you" trope goes, that and $5.00 will get you a Metra weekend pass. As Deirdre McCloskey puts it in The Vices of Economists - The Virtues of the Bourgeoisie (details or compare prices), "If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich?" Her point is that if in fact there are great inefficiencies and other injustices in society that can be put right, there are plenty of incentives for individuals other than state actors to put it right. Social engineering, then, is a vice.