The Politics Of Snow

by Conor Friedersdorf

I'm going to start highlighting the most absurd efforts to use for partisan or ideological gain news events that don't have anything to do with either. Today's example:

The blizzard is definitely a force for conservatism, and not only because it has had the global-warming crowd scrambling for explanations. The blizzard reveals something basic:  Liberals in government want to tell us what to eat, counsel us about how and when to die, and in general attempt to engineer our lives. But when reality knocks, they can’t do the basic stuff such as clearing the streets so that newborns don’t die in bloody apartment-building lobbies. Mayor Bloomberg may be receiving an unfair amount of criticism for his lackluster performance in coping with Mother Nature, given the almost unprecedented nature of the storm, but the unplowed city streets provide a metaphor for the nanny state: It can order us to do anything, but it can’t take care of the basic obligations of government.

In reality, snow storms cut both ways: snow angels are very friendly to religious conservatives, while snow men fervently support efforts to stop global warming.