Shame on us. In our political discourse, we throw the “isms” around willy-nilly, without really discussing – or understanding – what they actually mean. Liberalism, socialism, Marxism, fascism, conservatism, libertarianism … At election time, we employ these labels to blast or to boast about a given candidate.
But words have meaning beyond being political hand grenades. Fundamental philosophies of government pace the course of human history and cast the die of our destiny, for good or evil. We fight over government policies and practices, and that’s important. But even more important is understanding the basic philosophies of parties and candidates. Why? Because it is those fundamental principles and ideologies that underlie all public policy.
Here is a short tour through the overarching political philosophies of the major parties: Democrats are liberal/socialist, and a majority (maybe) of Republicans conservative/libertarian. Come to understand these foundational ideas and beliefs, and politics will begin to make more sense to you. Then decide where you stand.
LIBERALISM: Believes that the purpose of government is to impose the agenda of those in power on the lives of every else. CONSERVATISM: Believes that the purpose of government is to preserve your right to exercise your own free will, empowering the individual, not the politician.
LIBERALISM: Views people as victims of history and circumstance. CONSERVATISM: Views people as self-reliant captains of their own destinies.
LIBERALISM: Focuses on our weaknesses, our brutish instincts and on a naturalistic model of man. Life is negotiable. CONSERVATISM: Focuses on our strengths, our inner character and on a transcendent spiritual model of man. Life is sacred.
LIBERALISM: Believes that humanity progresses through politically planned collective action and a government-controlled marketplace. CONSERVATISM: Believes humanity progresses through unplanned individual action, inspiration and achievement, enabled by free markets.
LIBERALISM: Believes that humans are perfected through conformity to the rules of an intellectual elite. CONSERVATISM: Believes that humans are perfected by the release of the human spirit in an atmosphere of faith and freedom.
LIBERALISM: Defines morality as personal choice, shaped by environment and “situational ethics,” and sees man as the ultimate source of wisdom and truth. CONSERVATISM: Defines morality as a universal code, unchanged by circumstance, and sees God as the ultimate source of all wisdom and truth.
LIBERALISM: Believes wealth can be created by a government program, and that redistribution multiplies wealth and elevates humanity. CONSERVATISM: Believes that wealth is the result of enterprise, investment and hard work, and the more the government confiscates, the less society creates.
LIBERALISM: Views property in the context of greed, and the exercise of property rights as conditional upon government permission. CONSERVATIISM: Views property in the context of personal freedom, and land-use decisions as private prerogatives outside of government control.
LIBERALISM: Appeals to man’s envy and anger, and seeks to harness our primitive passion to take for ourselves what someone else owns. CONSERVATISM: Appeals to man’s generosity and compassion, and seeks to harness our higher and nobler calling to give, rather than to take.
LIBERALISM: Believes that people exist at the behest of government, and government should license and approve their activities. CONSERVATISM: Believes that government exists at the behest of the people, and the people should constitutionally authorize and approve its activities.
LIBERALISM: Says people are not good enough to be free, that the state must guarantee their material security and protect them from themselves. CONSERVATISM: Says that liberty and responsibility are inseparable, that people must be trusted with their freedom and be accountable for their actions.
LIBERALISM: Believes that people should be insulated from personal failure by limiting others from achieving personal success. CONSERVATISM: Believes that the freedom to fail and the freedom to succeed are essential liberties, and equal sides of the same coin.
LIBERALISM: Asserts that while theft is evil as a private act, it is benevolent and good as a public act, because government knows best how to allocate wealth. CONSERVATISM: Asserts that when a government plunders its people and redistributes their earnings for political gain, it commits the most cowardly form of theft, which destroys the rights of the plundered and the moral integrity of the recipient.
LIBERALISM: Is empowered by politics, imposed by legislation and enforced by the police powers of the state. CONSERVATISM: Is empowered by intellect, spread by persuasion, and nurtured in the absence of coercion and the presence of human respect.
LIBERALISM: Places its faith in government, distrusts the people, and sees liberty as a danger to be limited and suppressed. CONSERVATISM: Distrusts government, trusts the people, and places its faith in freedom, as a blessing from God and the birthright of all mankind.
Summing up, if you understand a political party’s belief system and philosophical frame of reference, you can easily predict the laws and policies it will advance – contrary claims in election season notwithstanding. This is especially true with Democrats, who are far more philosophically consistent (socialists at their core) than Republicans are consistent at advancing freedom and limiting the size, power and cost of government. Indeed, many embrace the Democrat philosophy of “government is the solution” far more than they are willing to admit, but their voting records tell the story. Until the pastel hues of a blended party return to the constitutional colors of red, white and blue, the bold and necessary changes in America’s direction will remain painfully out of reach.
