Yes, but...

I have had far too many arguments with left-leaning friends and strangers in the past few years. I suppose it really got lathered up during the Bill Clinton years but it has really gotten nasty since the Bush/Gore election in 2000, ratcheted up again in 2004, reached a fevered pitch in 2008 and now, on the eve of the 2010 mid-terms it is beyond the pale. I am as guilty as any and I freely admit it. We have all – each and every side (and there are many) dug into our foundations and we refuse to move.

I have been tracking articles, conversations, speeches, Internet blogs and Facebook exchanges in recent months and I’ve seen an interesting and edifying pattern. Conservative individuals (not The Tea Party Talking Heads or other inane and incompetent spokespeople) answer questions directly. I’m not saying they’re always correct; I’m simply commenting on their steadfastness, commitment, honesty and short, decisive responses. On the other hand, liberals never have decisive, direct and simple answers. They tend to begin any answer with, ‘Yes, but…’ This is complicated; this is indecisive; this is uncertain; this is waffling; this is whining; this is the blame game; this is Democrat.

Take this for example: Question: Did President Obama triple the deficit in his first 24 months in office?

Conservative: Yes

Liberal: Yes, but during his first year in office he was working with Dubya’s fiscal year budget which added something like $1.46 trillion to the deficit and then Obama reduced that to $1.24 trillion in his first year.

Let me ask this again: Did President Obama triple the deficit in his first 24 months in office?

Conservative: Yes

Liberal: Yes, but he also devised the stimulus package which shielded us from the biggest depression ever visited upon our country, created jobs, gave our citizens hope and ensured health insurance for every American citizen.

One more time: Did President Obama triple the deficit in his first 24 months in office?

Conservative: Yes

Liberal: Yes, but he is going to bring our soldiers back from Iraq and Afghanistan; re-build the infrastructure of our country; stabilize our economy; make us a big-player on the world’s stage, once again and bring the deficit under control.

Did President Obama triple the deficit in his first 24 months in office?

Yes.

If you are a working (or unemployed) American citizen your portion of our current debt is: $124,000. Pay up.

Yes, but...