Lessons in Philosophy
Posted: Sunday, November 02, 2008
by Gregory Franklyn
GLFranklyn
Republicans are not evil! Regular readers of Swerve may question my sanity for that statement but I assure you I have not lost my mind! Dont get me wrong, Im not trying to do a fluff piece about the GOP. You'll see that soon enough. Im a lifelong Democrat. In my youth I was a democrat because my parents, well, ALL the adults in my family, were Democrats so I barely knew anything else. As an adult, Ive been able to evaluate the parties on their merit and I remained a Democrat because the Philosophy of the party resonates with my core values. But, I dont hate Republicans because Im a Democrat. I simply disagree with what they stand for.
My disagreement is with Republican Core Values. Republican Philosophy is founded on the supremacy of the individual, the autonomy of the citizenry, opportunity, freedom from encumbrance, survival of the fittest and resistance to government interference in the lives of the people. These philosophies are not evil, many of them even draw on inspiration from Biblical principles. But they have a down side.
William Howard Taft, for example, was Republican, but had a lasting impact on commerce for his opposition to the growth of monopolies. That could well be considered government interference in the marketplace but Taft was able to see that allowing monopolies to flourish was bad for the majority of Americans, so he opposed them. However, monopolies are a natural progression of a free market and are a good argument in favor of market regulation. Were seeing a resurgence of it now, particularly in the media. Monopolies are unfair business practices because they artificially control prices and production and it is that control that arbitrarily limits opportunity.
Something has happened to the Republican Party over its history and its NOT a good thing. I sense that the turn for the worst began around the Reagan Administrations union busting and gained momentum under the congressional leadership of Newt Gingrich and his Contract with America. This change in the moral character of the Republican Party signaled an open door policy for the influence of Christian Churches as voting blocks and Christian Morality as a political platform.
It also ushered in a new resistance to government regulation and the new Republican Mantra that Big Government is the problem rather than the solution to our problems. Against that philosophy comes the Republican hot button issues of Abortion, Gay Rights, death with dignity and Prayer in Schools. These issues cause my head to spin about the Republican Philosophy. Should the Government step into the lives of the citizens or shouldnt it? Do Republicans want a government that is small enough to fit into a citizens bedroom window or classroom? It doesnt make much sense to me. If you stand for Freedom, stand for freedom and stop parsing which freedoms you like and which ones you dont.
Under this relatively new incarnation, the Republican Party has devolved into a kind of fascio-Democracy. You are free to do as I please!
Democratic Philosophy, in contrast, is rooted in common interests, rather than the autonomy of the individual. Democratic Philosophy resonates with me because of its Big Tent concept that reminds us that although we are individuals and that individuality should be respected, we are also part of a bigger whole and our success or failure is inter-related. We are in this together, whether we agree or not. Democratic Philosophy contends that it is our responsibility as members of the larger group to see that the weakest among us are protected because injury and injustice to one diminishes us all; a philosophy that is also rooted in Biblical principles.
The Democratic Philosophy respects that we are a Democratic Republic meaning that we are governed by a bed of laws that restrict Democracys majority from overpowering dissent against it. We agree, by our Constitution, that our freedom is limited by the over-riding cornerstone of equality and justice for the big guy and the little guy alike. That is why our Hot Button Issues are dramatically different than Republican ones. Ours are things like Equal Opportunity, Health Care, Education, Renewable Sources of Energy, the Economy and protecting the rights of the individual to make important life decisions on their own.
In this election we are seeing the worst excesses of what has become of the Republican Party. The architects Carl Rove, Dick Chaney, Alberto Gonzales, Donald Rumsfeld, John Ashcroft and George Bush have spent the last 8 years desensitizing Americans to the moral implications of intentional deception. Lying outright has become standard operational procedure in Republican Politics.
Were watching it happen right now! For example, over a week after Joe the Plumber has been exposed as a fraud the McCain Palin Campaign continues to hold him up as a banner to promote the intentional deception that most Americans taxes will increase under Obamas Plan for the Economy. John McCain has, himself, said that he doesnt believe Barack Obama is a Terrorist, yet he, and Sarah Palin, continue to frighten and mislead the voters into believing that he is. McCain also said that he doesnt believe that Obama is a socialist, yet he continues, on the campaign trail, to flat-out say that he is, using his now famous Air Quotes around his accusations!
I feel like I need to say it again; At its core, Republican political philosophy is not evil, but over the last few decades it has been slowly and methodically hijacked by people who are!
Much Love,
Gregory
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