The Informationist

More Ragging on Democratic Party Leadership (or lack thereof)

What the Republicans have that Democrats lack is coherence, not ideas. The governing ethos of the contemporary Republican Party hinges on two key beliefs: (i) Wealth didn’t get where it is by mistake. As a result, those who have earned it deserve to keep at least most of it; and (ii) A specific set of ethical beliefs and cultural norms made America what it is. We must preserve these norms.

These central beliefs give the Republicans a framework within which to evaluate all issues and all proposals. Growth--which benefits all--is most likely when society’s most capable people control the bulk of the resources. Institutional strength grows from a well defined moral center. And so on and so on. You can agree with some, all, or none of their conclusion, but the approach is coherent.

Democrats, on the other hand, are a notoriously incoherent lot. Personally, I believe in free trade, free markets, free choice, personal responsibility, and muscular liberalism. I have about as much in common with Naderite Greens as I do with Buchananite Paleoconservatives. And quite frankly, neither of these groups is any more concerned about offending me than I am about offending them. (And bravo to them for refusing to be embarassed by their own beliefs). The Democratic Party, on the other hand, is paralyzed by the thought of offending either me or the Greens--precisely because we both dislike the Paleos (not to mention the social conservatives).

That paralysis makes it seem that there are no ideas in the Democratic Party. Democrats have many, many ideas. The Democratic Party, on the other hand, is afraid of embracing any of them because to do so would risk alienating some faction that the Republicans have already alienated.

If the Deomocratic Party wants to shed this reputation of being an idea-free zone, it’s going to have to take some risks. Personally, I advocate following the New Democrat line and reaching out to Republicans who have been alienated by their own party--those who believe in social libertarianism, fiscal responsibility, tax simplification, free trade, and effective muscular liberalism. That means essentially telling the Naderites that we welcome their votes but not their influence. Alternatively, let the party go the other way. Let them embrace leftists and alienate the New Democrats. Perhaps we can align with like-minded Republicans to help them wrest their party back from the social conservatives. The former approach would turn the Democrats into a majority party, the latter into a minority party, but either would enhance party coherence--and coherence will always let ideas flow to the fore.

I’m sure that says it all.

Posted by Bruce Abramson from on 06/13 at 09:50 PM in American Government, Politics, and Domestic Policies