# Is the Democratic party headed in the wrong direction?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-democratic-party-headed-in-the-wrong-direction/579187
**Category:** Great Debates
**Created:** [April 21, 2011, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-democratic-party-headed-in-the-wrong-direction/579187 "2011-04-21T05:15:35Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 15

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Whambulance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@Whambulance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whambulance)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2011, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-democratic-party-headed-in-the-wrong-direction/579187/15 "2011-04-21T16:50:34Z")

</div>

> [@foolsguinea](#):
>
> OP, is it better to encourage responsibility or to take responsibility?
> 
> If it’s desirable for individuals to be responsible, why not for a government?
> 
> And if you fall back on the importance of consent, let me preempt that: Nothing government does is or should be consensual. Government is an authority; if it’s not coercive, you’re doing it wrong.

I have to concede that you and I have a completely different vision of the role of government, but I will give it a whirl.

It would absolutely be better to encourage responsibility rather than take it. A government choosing to take responsibility at its surmise that the people weren’t, is no longer led by the people.

---

_[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-democratic-party-headed-in-the-wrong-direction/579187)._