It's that time of year. The days are getting chillier, kids are eating their Halloween candy, thoughts are turning to turkey, and the endless stream of pundits explaining what will happen in the election has morphed into an endless stream of pundits explaining what just happened in the election.

A popular topic among the pundits has to do with the packaging of respective messages. Apparently- and not surprisingly, considering the intelligence and attention span of the average person- it's important to have a unified, very simple message and express it all day, every day so that this very simple message sinks in.

It's finally occurring to me that the "conservatives" have a distinct advantage in this regard not because of better political gamesmanship but because of their actual beliefs about these issues. Almost across the board, their message is simpler because their belief is simpler.
I don't mean to imply (at least not in every case) that their belief is stupider. Just simpler. I tend to vote for the "liberals," of course, but I agree with the other side on some issues. And more often than not I believe both sides are completely full of shit.

But on almost every major issue, the so-called conservative stance is much, much easier to translate into an advertisement- whether on a commercial or a bumper sticker.

Just try to argue from each side as briefly and succinctly as possible while still being accurate. It is impossible in every case to express the "liberal" view in fewer words.

Here are some examples.

Abortion
Conservative: I'm pro-life.
Liberal: We are against abortions but in some cases have to consider what is best for all concerned.

Capital punishment:
Conservative: An eye for an eye.
Liberal: Uncomfortable moral implications and an imperfect judicial system have to be considered.

Taxes:
Conservative: Taxes should be lower.
Liberal: I'd like to lower taxes if possible but government serves an essential role and has to be paid for in some way.

Global warming:
Conservative: Global warming is a hoax.
Liberal: The great preponderance of scientific evidence is that global warming is real, that man is contributing to it, and that if something is not done there will be terrible consequences.

Gun control:
Conservative: Gun ownership is our right.
Liberal: We have a right to own guns for hunting, sports, and self-protection but must do something to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.

That was just a few. I've thought of lots more. In every cae, I think I the "conservative" side is presented quite accurately. The "liberal" view is relatively accurate for each, but I would probably require more words than I actually used if I wanted to be as accurate as I was when stating the "conservative" argument.