Campaign rhetoric calls for end to big government

Campaign rhetoric calls for end to big government
Boris Shor spoke about the differences between essential government services and intrusion. Getty/Mark Wilson
Campaign rhetoric calls for end to big government
Boris Shor spoke about the differences between essential government services and intrusion. Getty/Mark Wilson

Campaign rhetoric calls for end to big government

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When it comes to government, size does seem to matter. But according to some, bigger is definitely not better. Come campaign time as the rhetoric heats up, the calls to end big government grow louder. It’s an equal opportunity message – Americans have heard it from Bill Clinton and George W. Bush alike.

But what is their idea of big government? And what distinguishes essential services from government intrusion? Eight Forty-Eight asked an expert to help sort out this rather unwieldy issue.

Boris Shor
is Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy, and co-author of Red State, Blue State, Rich State, Poor State: Why Americans Vote the Way They Do.

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