Posted on October 24, 2013

Krauthammer, Jon Stewart Clash Over Conservatism, Politics On "Daily Show"

CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: Ted Cruz is not the official spokesman for American conservatism. If you want somebody who has been out there, who has offered an alternative, the person who offered an alternative for example is Paul Ryan. But, let me start with his assumption. His assumption is not that government doesn't have a role. His assumption is that the welfare state as established with great success by liberals has now reached a point where it no longer fits.



With the new demographics and with the higher technology and medicine, we will simply become insolvent unless we radically reform. I’ll give you one fact. When Social Security was instituted, the age of longevity was 62. Today life expectancy is 80. So what you have is a huge change in the demographics. And when you look to Europe, which is the social democratic state where we’re headed which has all the entitlements and the government activities which a liberal would want and to with which American liberalism is headed. It became insolvent because it never adapted to the change in demographics and the change in technology, and it has had a rude awakening.