ï»¿ Jonah Goldberg: Parties aren't living up to their branding | New Hampshire
Americans blame the parties for a lot, but a lot can be blamed on Americans. I don't necessarily mean that in a negative or accusatory way. I merely mean that the parties tend to lag behind the times. Culturally, Americans want all the upside and none of the downside. Fight the War on Terror, but don't violate my privacy. Kill our enemies, but don't kill anyone by accident. Contain threats, but don't cost too much.
When it comes to government services, the same mindset rules. A lot of it has to do with technology, which changes culture far more than any sitcom, song or movie. ATM machines, iPhones, apps, GPS, debit cards, you name it: All work so seamlessly we've come to think this is the way things — all things — are supposed to work. It's not an intellectual conclusion but a feeling stemming from lived experience. In pitching Healthcare.gov, Obama pandered to that expectation, vowing the site would work as well as Amazon.com. But the government doesn't work like Amazon.com. It literally can't work like Amazon.com.
ï»¿ Jonah Goldberg: Parties aren't living up to their branding | New Hampshire
Americans blame the parties for a lot, but a lot can be blamed on Americans. I don't necessarily mean that in a negative or accusatory way. I merely mean that the parties tend to lag behind the times. Culturally, Americans want all the upside and none of the downside. Fight the War on Terror, but don't violate my privacy. Kill our enemies, but don't kill anyone by accident. Contain threats, but don't cost too much.
When it comes to government services, the same mindset ru
les. A lot of it has to do with technology, which changes culture far more than any sitcom, song or movie. ATM machines, iPhones, apps, GPS, debit cards, you name it: All work so seamlessly we've come to think this is the way things — all things — are supposed to work. It's not an intellectual conclusion but a feeling stemming from lived experience. In pitching Healthcare.gov, Obama pandered to that expectation, vowing the site would work as well as Amazon.com. But the government doesn't work like Amazon.com. It literally can't work like Amazon.com.