Demagogue

Yesterday afternoon, CNBC's "Kudlow & Company" program referred to the new poll showing that Senator Joe Lieberman is trailing in the race for the Democratic nomination. The Club for Growth's Stephen Moore was a guest on the show, and Moore whined about how terrible it was that "there is no room in the Democratic Party" for someone whose views are at odds with the party's core voters on issues such as Iraq and capital gains taxes.

This, said Moore, makes the Democrats a "small tent."

Wait a minute. Two years ago, Moore worked hard to make the Republican Party a small tent. He actively raised money for an ultra-conservative primary challenger to Republican Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania. The reason? Moore complained that Specter was not conservative enough -- he called Specter "a RINO Republican" (Republican In Name Only).

Moore has the right to try to knock off any Republicans he thinks aren't sufficiently conservative. But he's a total hypocrite when he whines about the Democratic Party not having "room" for people like Lieberman.

The only reason Moore was standing up for Lieberman has nothing to do with allowing diverse views within a political party. (Back in '04, Moore didn't want diverse views in the GOP.) It has everything to do with the fact that Lieberman is more open to tax cuts of various kinds than most other Democratic senators.