The Lesser Evil: Enemy of the Greater Good

A Rasmussen poll on views of the tax day tea party protests reveals a deep divide in the American electorate. "While 83% of Republicans and a plurality (49%) of unaffiliated Americans have a favorable view of the tea party protests, only 28% of Democrats say the same." Of course, such a breakdown according to party affiliation was to be expected, however, the real divide is found between the nation as a whole and its 'Political Class': "While half the nation has a favorable opinion of last Wednesday’s events, the nation’s Political Class has a much dimmer view—just 13% of the political elite offered even a somewhat favorable assessment while 81% said the opposite."

In reaction to these results, the neo-con-artist Bill Kristol panders to the protesters in a post at the Weekly Standard, emphasizing that he is "out of touch" with his political classmates, and stating, "I have a very favorable opinion of the events." Concerns that the wave of public anger will be effectively hijacked by the Republican Party to the benefit of the political class's self-interests are thus all the more justified, especially when conservative apologists of the duopoly openly admit that even though Republican politicians will "sell us out," alternative choices, in this instance Libertarians and Constitutionalists, will not help the cause of conservatism, by which they clearly mean the Republican Party. For all intents and purposes, John Hawkins' claim that "the perfect is the enemy of the good" reveals the extent to which the lesser of two evils argument is the enemy of the greater good.