Politics: American Margaret

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Politics American Margaret Why American conservatives miss Margaret Thatcher so much. By David Weigel Posted Tuesday, Apr 09, 2013, at 12:02 AM ET Two summers ago, as it rolled out its all-economy all-the-time message, the Mitt Romney campaign borrowed a slogan from Margaret Thatcher. A Web ad appearing on news sites showed a bending unemployment line—sorry, queue—of sad-looking people in outdated clothes. Above this, the slogan: OBAMA ISN'T WORKING. It was a loving tribute, stock photo and all, to LABOUR ISN'T WORKING, one of the slogans that elected Thatcher in 1979. "The unemployment rate in England was lower than today in the [United States]," Romney strategist Stuart Stevens told me then. "No President has ever been re-elected with a net loss job record, because no President has ever had a net loss." Thatcher won three elections. Romney didn't. Already, the loss of Thatcher is being felt more acutely among American conservatives than the defeat of that nice businessman with the wingtips and the gaffes. Romney was brought low by suggesting that voters who felt "entitled" or got "gifts" from the state would vote Democratic. Republicans denounced him. Imagine if he'd said, "there's no such thing as society" or "no one would remember the Good Samaritan if he'd only had good intentions" or "it's exciting to have a real crisis on your hands." American conservatives viewed Thatcher as a saint, and as an example. By the late 1970s, they saw the United Kingdom as a cautionary tale of what happened when socialism came to a market economy—and when both parties went along with it ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Three Reasons Why Guns in Schools Are a Bad Idea for Kids Home Alone Postcards From Camp	Advertisement
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