Pragmatic Conservatives!

In the context of the apparent confusion in the ideological position of Tea Party activists (mostly middle-aged and elderly) - though they oppose big government and favor public spending cuts, they want to leave untouched Medicare, Social Security, and public pension system - Lawrence Jacobs' description of American public opinion is spot on

"If you study public opinion, Americans are deeply ambivalent. They hate government in the abstract. But they love government programmes that benefit them in particular."

(HT: Financial Times)