He neglected to finish his thought: "...and on the rare occasion conservatives do offer a counter-proposal it's so laughably naive, so completely devoid of any understanding of nuance or unintended consequences, as to beggar belief".

You think alternative proposals are a game of whack-a-mole. While liberals are trying to knit a fabric of policy and government conservatives run around yanking on loose threads saying "see! see! we told you this was bullshit!".

Thread-yanking is not alternatives, if anything your suggestion gives a good indication of how little you understand the subject.