Why I Am A Republican
By Steven M. Warshawsky (08/31/04)
As the 2004 presidential election draws near, when the citizens of this country will be faced with a clear choice between Republican and Democratic candidates, I find myself moved to offer these reflections on why I believe the Republican Party is the best party for America and why I will be voting for George W. Bush this November. The purpose of this essay is not to compare the candidates’ positions on specific policy issues, but to clarify the underlying principles that shape and inform each party’s approach to governance.
Because I believe that the principles espoused by the Republican Party, which have their origins in the founding of our nation and were reinvigorated in our lifetime by Ronald Reagan, offer the only basis upon which to build a free and prosperous society, I am a Republican.
I have not always been a Republican. I grew up in a liberal Democratic family, and from my earliest years I espoused the government-based “do-goodism” that joins together liberals, socialists, radicals, and assorted other “reformers.” My do-goodism was of the typical naïve, sentimental variety that believes the solution to all human problems can be found in utopian fantasies, government programs, and the redistribution of wealth. Like other do-gooders, I professed to care deeply about “equality” and “justice” – but failed to recognize that without freedom there is nothing, only tyranny.
The education I received in high school and college merely reflected and reinforced my do-goodism. As has been chronicled extensively in recent years, liberal dogma permeates, indeed suffocates, education in this country. Other than some passing references to the Founding Fathers (derided, of course, as racists and elitists, unworthy of our current age), I was not exposed to any of the wellsprings of conservative thought and scholarship. On the other hand, I became quite familiar with the theories of Karl Marx, and of his modern day followers who perceive invidious “inequalities” of race, class, gender, and sexual orientation in all aspects of American life, from its earliest beginnings to the present day.
Fortunately, my youthful do-goodism was rooted in patriotism, in my fervent, heartfelt belief that the United States of America is the greatest country in the world, and the greatest country the world has ever known. As I grew older, I began to understand precisely what it is that makes America great – her freedom. It is the unique American commitment to freedom that has produced the richest, strongest, most influential civilization in all of human history. It is America’s commitment to freedom that produced the Revolution of 1776, ended slavery, won two world wars, and defeated the communist menace.
For more than two centuries, America has served as a beacon of hope to the people of the world. Yet beginning with the counterculture movement of the 1960s, America has been under attack, first by radical and now by liberal elements within our own society. I finally turned away from the Democratic Party when I realized that the people who make up that party, and the ideas and policies they support, are at their core anti-American. Democrats are ashamed of our history, distrustful of our freedoms, and opposed to our values and traditions. Rather than providing an example to the world of a society built on freedom, Democrats seek to re-make America in the image of European and Third World socialism. To accomplish this goal, they actively work to weaken America’s political, economic, and military might, and – even more devastatingly – to undermine the country’s belief in itself as “a shining city upon a hill.” Because I believe in the American dream – and believe that dream is worth fostering and defending – I became a Republican.
Individualism. I am a Republican because I believe first and foremost in the individual as the foundation stone of society. Not groups, or classes, or even “humanity” itself, but flesh-and-blood human beings. The genius of America has been to unleash each individual’s energies, interests, ambitions, and desires in a system of free market capitalism that has produced an unparalleled record of growth, productivity, innovation, and wealth. Starting as a small English outpost in a hostile and undeveloped land, America became, within 100 years of the Revolution of 1776, the world’s leading agricultural, industrial, and scientific nation, and remains so to this day. Americans, rich and poor alike, enjoy a standard of living superior to that of any other country on earth. Even “poor” Americans have higher rates of home and automobile ownership, consume more food and energy, and enjoy more modern amenities than “middle class” people of other developed countries. And unlike the centrally-planned economies of Europe, the American economy remains vibrant and strong, promising to bring us even greater wealth and opportunity in the future.
Inextricably bound to America’s system of free enterprise, is our system of constitutional democracy – the only political system known to man in which the individual’s rights and interests are protected, not suppressed, by the government. Indeed, the very purpose of government is to protect those rights that inhere in every individual, regardless of race, gender, creed, or station in life. Our Founding Fathers taught the world this lesson many years go: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
The American political and economic tradition thus is rooted in individual rights, including freedom of speech, freedom of association, private property, and freedom of contract. The Republican Party supports and defends these rights. The Democratic Party does not. The Republican Party recognizes that rights are not granted to citizens by government, but inhere in each of us as individual human beings. That each of us has the right to speak our minds, to join together with others of our own choosing, and to pursue our own self-interest. Democrats vehemently disagree. Their prevailing philosophy is premised upon group rights, not individual rights. Instead of a society populated by unique individuals of all different types, Democrats see only “women” or “minorities” or – through rather differently colored glasses – “white males.” Whether in the form of speech codes, affirmative action programs, tax-and-spend policies, or government regulations, Democrats consistently seek to limit the freedom of individuals to benefit the groups they favor. The inevitable results of this misguided philosophy are stagnation, mediocrity, and injustice.
Limited Government. I am a Republican because I subscribe to the maxim (famously endorsed by Henry David Thoreau), “That government is best which governs least.” The Republican Party believes that the proper role of government – especially the federal government – is a limited one. These limits are prescribed by the Constitution itself, which delegates specific, enumerated powers to the federal government and reserves the rest to the people and the states. Among the powers properly exercised by the federal government are establishing a republican political system, ensuring the national defense, maintaining the free flow of commerce, guaranteeing the equal protection of the laws, and promoting the general welfare (for example, through pure food and drug laws). While it is impossible to identify in advance the entire universe of legitimate federal power, one thing is clear: The Framers of the Constitution intended to create a political, economic, and legal framework that maximized individual freedom, so that individuals – not government – decide how best to pursue their own happiness.
As Thomas Jefferson warned: “The course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases.” After a century scarred by the twin totalitarian nightmares of communism and nazism, Jefferson’s warning is as relevant today as it was two hundred years ago. The Republican Party recognizes that we must be ever vigilant to confine government to its proper sphere, so that the benefits of freedom can be enjoyed by all. This includes not only limiting the size and scope of the federal government, but reigning in an activist federal judiciary and returning power to state and local governments that are closer to the people. In sharp contrast, the Democratic Party is wedded to a statist vision, proposing failed socialist solutions to every “problem” (real or imagined) in the country. Recall Hillary Clinton’s health care debacle. Ironically, while Democrats seek to move America towards greater and greater socialism, socialist countries across the globe are moving in the opposite direction – towards individual freedom, private property, and free market capitalism. The Republican position.
Personal Responsibility. I am a Republican because I believe that the onus of responsibility for success or failure in life rests with the individual, not with government or “society.” With very few exceptions, each of us is capable of living a decent, productive, satisfying life. This does not mean, of course, that we all can be rich or famous. But it does mean – as millions of immigrants attest – that there is an abundance of opportunity in our society for anyone who desires it, who is willing to work hard and “play by the rules.” The policies of the Republican Party fundamentally are aimed at fostering this kind of effort and success – the very effort and success that built this country into what it is today – by promoting free enterprise, lowering taxes, and reducing the amount of burdensome and unnecessary government regulation.
Republicans seek to encourage and reward individual initiative and achievement because history proves that is the only way to grow the economy, increase wealth and opportunity, and raise the standard of living for everyone. As the saying goes, “a rising tide lifts all boats.” The Democratic Party does not share this vision. Instead of growth and progress, they see limits and “crises” (of poverty, energy, health care, and so on, ad infinitum); instead of merit, they see “discrimination.” In short, Democrats do not believe in the essential fairness and efficiency of the free market. As a result, the entire Democratic project for the past 35 years has served one overarching goal: the forced redistribution of wealth through confiscatory taxation on the most productive members of our society. Indeed, if elected President, John Kerry promises to increase taxes on “the wealthiest Americans” – despite the fact that the top 10% of taxpayers already pay 50% of all federal taxes!
The choice between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party is often described as the choice between equality of opportunity and equality of results, between “leveling up” and “leveling down.” Regardless of the issue – jobs, education, health care, welfare, etc. – Democrats propose to take from some citizens and give to others. In this, they are no different from totalitarians the world over (“From each according to his ability, to each according to his need . . .”). Although Republicans are sensitive to the basic needs of the poorest and least capable members of our society, they nevertheless reject this zero-sum approach to governance. They recognize that we all are made better off by living in a dynamic, competitive society that promotes effort and achievement based on merit, rather than one that uses government coercion to allocate “opportunities” and redistribute wealth.
Teddy Roosevelt summed it up best in his famous speech to the Sorbonne in 1910: “There should, so far as possible, be equality of opportunity to render service; but just so long as there is inequality of service, there should and must be inequality of reward. . . . To say that the thriftless, the lazy, the vicious, the incapable, ought to have the reward given to those who are far-sighted, capable, and upright, is to say what is not true and can not be true. Let us try to level up, but let us beware of the evil of leveling down. If a man stumbles, it is a good thing to help him to his feet. Every one of us needs a helping hand now and then. But if a man lies down, it is a waste of time to try to carry him; and it is a very bad thing for every one, if we make men feel that the same reward will come to those who shirk their work and to those who do it.”
Strong National Defense. I am a Republican because I believe in the vital importance of a strong national defense. As the leader of the free world, the United States must always have the strongest, most advanced ground, sea, air, and nuclear forces. The atrophy that occurred in the 1970s and 1990s, as defense spending was cannibalized to fund social programs, cannot be allowed to happen again. Social programs did not defeat the nazis and communists; they will not defeat the Islamofacists. Republicans understand that national defense and military preparedness must be the federal government’s top priority.
The dangers we face today are as deadly as ever, and call for a swift, resolute, and powerful response. President Bush and the Republican leadership are up to the task. The same cannot be said of the Democrats. Under the guise of a false and dangerous “internationalism,” Democrats would abdicate American leadership and subordinate American sovereignty to the United Nations, a corrupt and ineffectual organization dominated by Third World dictatorships. Worse, they would let the people of France and Germany – well-known for their disdain of American society – exercise a veto over American foreign policy. Why? Because Democrats distrust their own country, and seek assurances through phony international “consensus” that America is doing the right thing. As if the support of Great Britain, Australia, Japan, Italy, the former Soviet-bloc nations of Eastern Europe, and numerous other countries, means nothing. Republicans know that Americans do not need the approval of the French or Germans (let alone the Russians or Chinese) to do what is in our – and the free world’s – best interest. Unlike Democrats, Republicans have confidence in American leadership and believe the world is better off because of it.
Civic Virtue. I am a Republican because I agree with our Founding Fathers that “morality is a necessary spring of popular government” (George Washington) and “only a virtuous people are capable of freedom” (Benjamin Franklin). The Republican Party takes seriously the moral conditions necessary for a free and prosperous society, what the Founding Fathers called “civic virtue.” Among the values that make up civic virtue are hard work, thrift, temperance, honesty, and respect for others. Republicans understand that without these values, individuals and communities become mired in poverty, disorder, and crime. So that each of us can enjoy the benefits of freedom, the Republican Party supports policies aimed at promoting and strengthening these values in all Americans.
The difference between the two parties on this point could not be clearer. Where the Republican Party believes in right and wrong, the Democratic Party advocates moral relativism, which it dresses up in the rhetoric of “compassion” and “choice.” The results of this philosophy – the terrible effects of which can be seen in many parts of our country today – are profligacy and dependency, promiscuity and illegitimacy, vandalism and violence, failure and lack of hope. All subsidized, of course, by the vast majority of hard-working, law-abiding citizens whose values – the very values that bring success in life (even for liberals!) – Democrats reject as outmoded and “oppressive.” But Democrats do not merely oppose these values, they actively work to destroy the institutions that sustain them (for example, the Boy Scouts). The Republican Party stands opposed to these efforts. Republicans understand that America is the great country she is today because of her traditional moral values – and only by preserving these values can we ensure America’s greatness tomorrow.
Patriotism. Ultimately, as I stated at the beginning of this essay, I am a Republican because I love my country and believe, to quote Teddy Roosevelt one more time, that “no people on earth have more cause to be thankful than ours.” There has never been a freer or happier or more successful people in all of history. From being the first nation to reject monarchy, to being the first to put a man on the moon, the story of the United States of America is one of freedom, prosperity, and progress. My heart swells with gratitude each time I reflect that I too am part of this story, a beneficiary of this great legacy. As Ronald Reagan reminded us in one of his last public addresses: “For two hundred years, we have been set apart by our faith in the ideals of democracy, of free men and free markets, and of the extraordinary possibilities that lie within seemingly ordinary men and women.” I believe in these ideals. This is why I am a Republican. This is why I will be voting for George W. Bush this November. |
