Center Left vs. Center Right - Not the Issue

I tend to agree with this commentary. However, I think the following is missing from EJ’s discussion (as well as all the other discussions I’ve heard on this topic since Tuesday).

I don’t believe the question is framed correctly by asking are we center-right or center-left as a proxy for whether Americans want more or less government. The reality is both Obama and McCain (and Bush, Kerry, & Gore before them) promised more activist government. What Obama’s victory represents in my mind is that Americans want more COMPETENT government. This is why two stories of McCain’s campaign struggles resonated so well. First, McCain’s flailing during the first days of the financial collapse did not inspire confidence that his leadership of the government would be an improvement over the current administration’s. Second, the commonly stated perception that the Palin pick was a cynical political choice (reinforced by her terrible interviews with Katie Couric), rather than a serious governing choice, was (likely) the straw that broke the camel’s back for McCain’s pitch to be a competent steward of the federal government.