A couple weeks ago, I made a conservative defense of government. As I wrote, “Conservatives rightly hate nanny-state government and big-spending bureaucracy. But too often, the word ‘government’ has become unfair shorthand for what is actually only bad or oppressive government.”
While I stand by my column, the timing could have been better. It’s probably fair to say that recent events have made my argument a much harder sell to an understandably skeptical audience.
And I’m not alone. While I was writing about my first rifle, MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough was in the midst of a months-long campaign to urge the passage of universal background checks on gun purchases. But as Scarborough conceded, fairly or not, the IRS scandal has undermined his point. “My argument is less persuasive today because of these scandals,” Scarborough admitted.
“People say, ‘Hey, if they do this with the IRS, asking people what books you read, then how can I trust them with information about my Second Amendment rights?’”
Scandals have consequences.
Watch the video here (hat tip: NR):