The Republican Position

Dean Baker pulls back the curtain:

. . . in spite of what [NY Times Columnist] David Brooks tells us, [Republican Congressman] Ryan’s concern is not reducing the size of government, but rather redistributing income upward.

Of course, upward redistribution of income is not a very good political platform since there are many more people who end up losers in this story than winners. And, in a democracy, politicians are unlikely to win elections if they promise to take money out of most voters’ pockets.

So, Mr. Ryan and David Brooks come up with stories about how conservatives want to limit government and unleash individual entrepreneurs. The story might have little basis in reality, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t get it in the New York Times and persuade lots of people to take it seriously.