Moynihan – the only person to have served in the cabinets or subcabinets of four consecutive presidents (Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford) – said politics is an argument about the future: “The central conservative truth is that it is culture, not politics, that determines the success of society. The central liberal truth is that politics can change a culture and save it from itself.”
Today, seven years after Moynihan’s death, conservatism’s contention is that liberal politics produces a culture of dependency and a government riddled with rent-seeking – the manipulation of government power for private advantage. Would that Moynihan were here to elevate the liberal side of the debate, as he did throughout his well-lived life.
While Moynihan was alive, Mr. Wills in all his pontifical majesty sang a different tune.
Moynihan sold out on abortion, and therefore I have no respect for this “visionary.”
Dan, I respectfully believe you are wrong. See, for example, Will _Statecraft as Soulcraft: What government does_ at pp 16-17 (1984)
See also, his collection of essays, titled _With a Happy Eye, But…: America and the World, 1997-2002_ the index will point you to a number of mentions of Sen. Moynihan, all of which are consistent with this essay.
I have long been an admirer of DPM and have always been pleased to see that his greatness has been recognized by George F. Will.
While I have never read all that George Will has written about Moynihan, I would imagine that Moynihan was someone Will respected, even if not someone with whom he always agreed. Moynihan was one of the last great public servants in the true sense of the term. Moynihan was not just an ideologue or party minion. My recollection of him was that he was sincere in honestly trying to do what was best for the country. Not too many of those people still reside in Washington.
There are some things government can do that work for the good of decent and humane society overall, and must do because neither the for-profit or philanthropic private sectors will do them. There also other things that just do not work, but that political pressure on those in government forces government to do anyway, even though they are at least wastes of taxpayer money and at worst aggravators of already existing social problems. Daniel Patrick Moynahan not only recognized the difference, but also could explain why. The USA could use many more Senators (and Representatives) of his ilk.