The Case of the Missing Facts

There's a curious omission in Thomas Frank's latest column: He somehow neglected to provide any evidence at all that the people he was talking about are or were conservatives. He cited no right-wing policies that they pushed through or even tried to push through.

If he had said “Presidents who build up the military are more likely to hire people who sell arms to theocrats” he might have had a point, but he didn't. If he had said “Speakers of the House who limit welfare payments are more likely to abandon their wives” he might have had a point, but he didn't.

Maybe he's countersignaling. On the other hand, maybe citation of no facts is preferable to citation of lame facts. (ObSF: The absence of an alibi in “The Singing Bell” by Isaac Asimov.)