Arnold Kling writing at TCS Daily reminds us about the dangers of conventional wisdom.
Stuck on 1968: The Conventional Wisdom among well-educated liberals in 1968 included the following: Anti-Communism was a greater menace than Communism. The planet could not possibly support the population increases that would take place by the end of the twentieth century. Conservatives stood in the way of progress for minorities. Government programs were the best way to lift people out of poverty. What underdeveloped countries needed were large capital investments, financed by foreign aid from the rich countries. Inflation was a cost-push phenomenon, requiring government intervention in wage and price setting.
The degree of confidence in these beliefs was so strong that liberals in 1968 came to the overriding conclusion that: Anyone who is not a liberal must be incorrigibly stupid.
Kling’s point is that all of these liberal beliefs proved to be incorrect over time. The corollary, which Republicans should not forget, is that contemporary conventional wisdom may be equally susceptible to error. Poverty, the expense of healthcare and inequalities of income in America are volatile emotional issues that can be exploited by the Democrats. Missteps in the Middle East can easily create an economic collapse comparable to the global depression of the 1930’s, and all the carefully calculated, computer assisted congressional redistricting won’t prevent voter approved expansion of the government dependent citizen.
