"One of our principles is that power corrupts, and you need to disperse it," Senator Jim DeMint said, to a group of GOP officials at a conference in Myrtle Beach.

Raw Story article.

Wealth is power, n'est-ce pas? Also, information? Also, access? When have liberals ever been all about concentrating power? Of course, DeMint doesn't really mean what he's saying, I feel. I think he means states as opposed to federal (when it's the other guys in charge). I don't remember much discussion about concentrated power during arguments about FISA, Iraq, intelligence, executive privilege, and so on.

When liberals advocate government action, it is usually to counter the effects of some "natural" concentration, like segregated schools, or monopoly business power. Contrary to the propaganda against liberal policies, it was not liberals that imposed a national school testing regime. It was not liberals that argued for national ID. It was not liberals that wanted to enhance federal power by giving the executive branch greater freedom to employ force. It was not liberals that called out the national guard to enforce school desegregation, it was Eisenhower. (Oh he was a liberal, just called himself a Republican, I guess.) It was not liberals that demanded all lobbying firms hire Republicans. It was not liberals that suggested we should watch what we say.

Liberals do want national policies, and that's OK when the government is the People. It is conservatives that want to restrict who is allowed to be People, making it hard to vote, and having a history of preferring tests like property. The People decided they had been lied to enough. Power is not concentrated when 3 million people contribute, and hundreds of thousands canvass and make calls.

So I agree with Sen. DeMint's words, although I suspect his real feelings are not identical with mine.