If ever we were in a non-ideological moment, it is now. The moment calls for pragmatic, careful and analytical reasoning. It may be that after such a process, both sides — using all their mental capacity — would conclude that their various ideologies perfectly describe the policies to follow in every instance. But I doubt it.

Although I am a free market, limited-government conservative, I believe there is a strong case for government intervention to strengthen our financial institutions (and then, when the danger has passed, to get government back out of the private sector quickly). I have liberal Democratic friends who believe in single-payer health care and who, in private, think it is foolish to deal with health care while the world’s economy is aflame.