George F. Will: Can GOP make voters confront contradictions?

Published: Thursday, Aug. 30 2012 12:00 a.m. MDT

Washington Post

Summary

Now begins the final phase of this cognitive dissonance campaign. America's 57th presidential election is the first devoted to calling the nation's bluff. When Mitt Romney selected Paul Ryan, Republicans undertook the perilous but commendable project of forcing voters to face the fact that they fervently hold flatly incompatible beliefs.

Human beings, said one of the wisest of them — Aristotle — are political animals and language-using animals. Americans, as you do not need to be Aristotle to know, are complaining animals. They use language to complain about politics. Mitt Romney should remind them that one function of elections is to force most voters — the winning majorities — to forfeit the fun of complaining. For example, if the swing state of Nevada, which has the nation's highest unemployment rate (12 percent), votes for four more years of current policies, it must henceforth suffer in silence. Actually, all those who vote to continue Barack Obama's distinctive brand of clientelism — crony capitalism — must, if he wins, become political Trappists, taking a vow to keep quiet.

George Will's email address is georgewill@washpost.com.

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Kent C. DeForrest

Provo, UT

"With the exception of the tea party, there is no real faction out there making the Jacksonian case for an end to special privilege."

But the tea party is as guilty as everyone else. It wants to preserve the privilege of the More..

10:14 a.m. Aug. 30, 2012
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JoeBlow

Far East USA, SC

I actually think it will make them rethink WHY there is a contradiction.

Looking at the official party platform, It is not exactly friendly to hispanics, many who have close ties to immigrants.

And as far as women. Party More..