Quote of the Day

From Peggy Noonan in today's Opinion Journal. She's talking about voter distrust of politicians when they come up with complicated solutions to the nation's problems (particularly the current discussion of immigration), but this little snippet was an amusing aside:

Democrats use complexity as a thing to hide behind when they talk about taxes. Republicans can say, and can mean, "I hate taxes and will cut them." Democrats can't say that, because they don't hate taxes and in fact will raise them. Though they will not say it. They will say, "Tax cuts on the top 10% of income earners are nonprogressive and unhelpful, and I will cut their tax cut, or hike their taxes, and in turn make commensurate cuts on the taxes of the most deserving lower income taxpayers, though not in a way that will negatively impact the deficit."

When voters hear this they know exactly what it means: We will raise taxes.

Noonan recognizes that sometimes the solution must be complex, but voters will only accept a complex solution if they decide the politicians are sincere in their commitment to the solution, not just "using public concern as a plaything to get what will serve the political class." Her ending message to politicians: you'd better mean what you say, because any perception of insincerity will spell the end of your political effectiveness.