Looking at Joe Klein's less than flattering "Exposé" of Bill Clinton from over a decade ago, I was struck by these three words Clinton used on the side of his tour Bus and how they have such a different meaning for Republicans.
Bill Clinton: Third Way Principles: opportunity, responsibility, community
In his 1998 State of the Union speech, he recited the three principles of The Third Way: opportunity, responsibility and community--words that Clinton had made the slogan of the moderate Democratic Leadership Council when he became its chairman in 1991. Ever since, politicians from Tony Blair in England to George W. Bush has used the same words to win elections; by 1998, however, the formulation was beginning to seem hackneyed. He made a last attempt to summarize his governing philosophy, offering a three-point "strategy for prosperity: fiscal discipline to cut interest rates and spur growth; investments in education and skills to prepare our people for the new economy; new markets for American products and American workers."
There was no applause The words were too abstract; there was nothing stirring or controversial about them. The Third Way--which challenged both liberal and conservative orthodoxies--could sound like Everyone's Way when massaged into platitudes by a decent speechwriter.
Source: The Natural, by Joe Klein, p. 17-18 Feb 11, 2003
The GOP Version:
Opportunity - for the CREATORS. It's the job CREATORS who manage to create jobs without any nod to the ridiculous left wing idea of "supply and demand". It's no coincidence they are called the "CREATORS". It is only they who deserve government support.
Responsibility - laughable - it's every man for himself. You get whatever you can. No one tells me what to do. I believe in doing what I want and I believe that might makes right and so I can tell others, like blacks, Hispanics, gays and women how they should live. The only responsibility we have is to pull every trick in the book to win elections. We have to protect the "CREATORS" and force people to live by what we imagine is our God's "laws".
Community - code for "Socialism" plain and simple. In my country of every man for himself, the only community I believe in is mine.
I know this will get right wingers to call all kinds of names. But it pretty much spells out their philosophy. The left doesn't need to make up bizarre right wing beliefs. Because they tell us what their beliefs are.
