Posted by
John Caile on Friday, October 03, 2008 11:22:56 AM
I was pleasantly surprised by the civility and respect that Joe Biden and Sarah Palin showed each other during Thursday's debate. This is not to say there were no disagreements - there most certainly were. But absent was the crass and nasty tone of the negative ads that have flooded the airwaves for months. Though I disagree with his views, I actually found myself liking Joe Biden.
That being said, what struck me was the clear difference in philosophical views held by the two candidates. Contrary to the commonly heard sentiment that "all politicians are the same," Joe Biden and Sarah Palin express very different ways of looking at the world.
Biden, like so many on the Left, believes that government is the solution to just about every ill facing society. He, like Obama, also sees government as the arbiter of "fairness" - a concept that should send shivers down the spine of any freedom loving American.
Take taxes. Rather than viewing tax policy as a vehicle for funding government, Biden, like most liberals, sees it as a means of implementing a kind of forced economic equality. Thus he defends the policy of taking a huge chunk out of the paychecks of successful people (that evil "top 5%") as somehow being "fair." Worse, both he and Obama say that it's OK because "they can afford it" - this is not merely immoral, it is classic Marxism.
Sarah Palin on the other hand, believes in free market capitalism, and she understands that demonizing the people who create the jobs and drive economic prosperity is not only bad policy, it is simply wrong. She also knows that punishing success is a formula for fiscal disaster, especially in unstable economic times.
So whether one likes or dislikes Joe Biden or Sarah Palin, the debate did at least illuminate the real, substantive differences between the two candidates, and their visions for America.
Joe Biden represents the past - the Washington career politician who exemplifies the failed liberal polices that have produced so many of the problems we face today: higher taxes, more big government, and less liberty.
Sarah Palin represents the future - the newcomer who advocates lower taxes, smaller government,and expanded personal and economic freedom.