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« Why not just show me one word at a time, on flashcards? | Main | Forming a committee to discuss forming a committee to discuss it » Point and CounterpointYglesias and Drum do a little accidental debating here: I'm glad that Senator Rob Portman of Ohio has reconsidered his view on gay marriage upon realization that his son is gay, but I also find this particular window into moderation--memorably dubbed Miss America conservatism by Mark Schmitt--to be the most annoying form. Vs. I admit that my first reaction to this was disgust: I'm tired of conservatives who suddenly decide that Medicaid should be more generous with stroke victims after they've had a stroke themselves, or who suddenly decide gay marriage is OK when someone in their family turns out to be gay. Is it too much to ask that they show a little empathy even for people and causes that don't directly affect their own lives? I'm with Yglesias here. There's a limited number of issues that can turn out to directly affect a politician, so having empathy and/or the ability to apply the implications of policy positions to actual people ought to be one of the job requirements. I'll take progress any way i can get it, but intellectually, a guy that believes homosexuality is morally wrong even if his son is gay makes more sense to me than a guy who changes his opinion only when it affects him personally. By fnord12 | March 15, 2013, 1:03 PM | Liberal Outrage |