Host intro: What should you be thankful for this Thanksgiving? Pete du Pont of the National Center for Policy Analysis has a few suggestions.
I'll offer thanks for…..
The two party system. Minor ones. Third parties inject ideas into the political discourse – witness Ross Perot in 1992 – but the two-party structure keeps American politics stable and responsive to core beliefs, which are generally moderate to conservative.
Small business. Small businesses generate most of the new jobs, and maybe more important, many of the new ideas that keep the American economic engine running.
Good political writers of the right, left and middle. What saves us from the skin-deep distortions and "analysis" of televised political coverage are thoughtful columnists like William Safire, Clarence Page, Charles Krauthammer, Mike Royko, George Will, Richard Cohen, Nat Hentoff and David Broder; cartoonists like Gary Trudeau and Wayne Stayskal; and even Anthony Lewis, who once accused me of resorting to lies and demagogy for recommending a flat tax.
And finally, give thanks for skepticism. There's a great hue and cry now that Americans hate government. Maybe some crackpots really do, but most are simply leery of overweening government power and intrusion. If you think that's just a product of modern angst, take time off between the football games today and read the declaration of independence.
Those are my ideas. And at the NCPA, we know ideas can change the world. I'm Pete du Pont and I'll see you tomorrow.