I often find it amusing when conservative blogs root for conservative parties in European elections, seeing them as their counterparts. The current American conservative movement has moved so far to the right, and adopted so many views which are counter to reality, that they are quite different creatures from European conservatives. Often the Democrats, while center-left in the United States, would be on the right side of the political spectrum in much of the world.The idea voiced by American conservatives that Barack Obama is a socialist is found to be absurd by Europeans, along with anyone else who knows what socialism means.
Conservatives have shown outrage against the recent health care reform legislation, generally ignorant of the fact that it is a fairly conservative plan utilizing ideas from the Heritage Institute and promoted by the Republican Party of 1993. Many conservatives have also been big fans of French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Of course, Sarkozy, as would any sane European leader living in a country with a far more progressive health care plan, would would not dream of adopting the failing system we are trying to get away from.
Kevin Drum and Steve Benen were also amused to see Sarkozy’s comments on health care at Columbia:
“Welcome to the club of states who don’t turn their back on the sick and the poor,” Sarkozy said, referring to the U.S. health care overhaul signed by President Barack Obama last week.
From the European perspective, he said, “when we look at the American debate on reforming health care, it’s difficult to believe.”
“The very fact that there should have been such a violent debate simply on the fact that the poorest of Americans should not be left out in the streets without a cent to look after them … is something astonishing to us.”
Then to hearty applause, he added: “If you come to France and something happens to you, you won’t be asked for your credit card before you’re rushed to the hospital.”
This still might shock some conservatives but Sarkozy’s reputation among them is already tarnished. Sarkozy abandoned some conservative economic ideas when they failed, contrary to the American conservative philosophy of treating their ideas as a religion which cannot be altered, regardless of how much their ideas conflict with reality.
