Holman Jenkins' "Mitt's Moment" Misstates and Cajoles

" America is not headed in 2012 for a landmark decision on the size and role of government. America is headed only for a moment of recognition." When the venerable Wall Street Journal makes a statement like that, one wonders how far its head is buried in the sand.

Holman W. Jenkins, Jr. authored the piece, opining in December 14 WSJ's editorial page. This American has a different opinion: Election 2012 will indeed be a landmark decision on the size and role of government.

The polarity on the big government issue is as far apart as night and day, black and white, on and off, zero and infinity, liberal and conservative. Speaking of which, if it's not abundantly clear, liberal Democrats love big government despite that it doesn't work for the people as promised.

Election 2012 will indeed be a contest of opposites. The two parties represented, no matter who runs on the GOP side, stand for big and small government by Democrat and Republican respectively. Arguments exist for each of the possible GOP candidates as to the size of the polarity gap between parties. But for the Journal to suggest that election decisions have nothing to do with the size of government is a flaw in political thinking at the paper.

Jenkins' opinion piece, after the gross misstatement on the election, went on to promote Mitt Romney as the best GOP candidate under consideration so far. Newt Gingrich's recent rise in the polls suggests otherwise. Perhaps the columnist is a Democrat in disguise, shilling for the mainstream media's favorite Republican exhibiting the least possible political difference from Obama. Perhaps that accounts for the miniaturization of the government size issue.

I am also baffled by this "moment of recognition" toward which America is headed. Recognition of what? Just when is this moment supposed to be occurring? Could it be a reference to the election? This so-called moment must have inspired the title. I am not alone in my puzzlement. I and others looked for an explanation, but none came forward in the rest of the piece.

All of this is to say that the Wall Street Journal is a part of the mainstream media, liberal in its political views, yet forays from time to time with moderately conservative views, particularly in its editorial pages. The giveaway is the shocking misstatement on what election 2012 isn't about and the glorification of the prospective GOP candidate closest to the existing elite establishment ruling class.