Barack Obama:
Here in America, we know the free market is the greatest force for economic progress the world has ever known.
Hillary Clinton:
There is no greater force for economic growth than free markets.
Barack Obama:
I believe in the free market. I know Texans believe in entrepreneurship. We are an independent and a self-reliant people. We don’t believe in government doing what we can do for ourselves.
What gives? Well, I’ll give you a hint. They also followed those statements championing free markets with the exact same conjunction: “BUT.” Then they proceed as if the phrase preceding the “but” was a lie they just invalidated, a verbal crossing of fingers behind their backs.
What’s interesting to me is what it implies: they know people intrinsically believe in the free markets. If they could openly praise the nanny state, they would. If they could point to economic progress within the nanny state, they would. They can’t, so they pretend that whatever new power grab they propose is somehow in the spirit of American liberty.
It’s worked so far.
