The title refers to the fact that, as ash has noted in other letters, the conservative columnist George Will commonly enlarges upon his comments during a weekly television appearance for his articles. In this case, he snottily boasted of the naturally cheerful nature of conservatives as opposed to the sour, dour liberals on Sunday, expanding the theme into a full-fledged treatise several days later. Never mind that he portrays himself as a great intellect while espousing such simplistic nonsense. When it comes to denouncing liberalism on the flimsiest grounds, there is no level below which he will not sink:
I could write an anti-conservative screed based on caricatures, clichés, stereotypes, half-truths, misconceptions, and condescending parody.
Instead, I’ll cite the proud and anything-but-angry Garrison Keillor, from his satirical song, “We’re All Republicans Now”: “I’ve got mine; now you go get your own.” Or, as I’m fond of saying: I’m fine; what’s your problem?
See? Liberals can play encapsulate the other side in one simplistic slogan as well as George Will can define us in pithy sound bites. And if the components of conservative philosophy yield greater “happiness” than liberal concern for family, friends, neighbors, utter strangers, the community, foreigners, and the environment – if greed or self-absorption enables contentment while compassion impedes it – so be it.
Mr. Will has spent his career afflicting the afflicted whole comforting the comfortable. To those singularly focused on a shortcut to happiness, he might as well have written: be born lucky. Stay that way. And never mind your negative impact on the rest of the world.
For a brilliant scribe, Mr. Will certainly is obtuse about liberalism. The only question is whether his cluelessness is a defense mechanism against his long-submerged charitable instinct.