Political Science

Yet, the Republican Party has not benefitted. Gallup finds public approval of the GOP at 32 percent which is 10 percent lower than Democrats. One of the primary reasons the GOP has not gained from Obama’s woes is that it spent most of the past year on what it opposes (gun control, immigration reform, food stamps, expanding Medicaid, Obamacare, etc.) rather than what it supports. Consequently, the public perceives Republicans as out of touch, which results in the public trusting Democrats by 28 percent over Republicans on “showing passion and concern for people.”

 

To win in 2014 and 2016, the GOP must develop a positive governing philosophy. Two articles in the most recent National Affairs provide a promising start in this endeavor. Henry Olsen argues that the GOP must remember two lessons Ronald Reagan taught them: “Respect the aspirations of the common person,” and focus on how government can give people a hand up instead of a handout.

 

Too often, Republicans focus on entrepreneurs and attacking the “47 percent” who do not pay taxes rather than promoting ordinary workers and taxpayers. The average person just wants to live his life and doesn’t want to be abandoned, especially in a time of global economic change, increased mobility and the breakdown of the family. As such, people expect government to help them.

 

And ever since Lincoln helped the common person by creating land-grant colleges, giving free land to settlers and promoting a continental railroad, every dominant political coalition has rejected a minimalist concept of government. The goal of conservatives then is to make government useful, instead of harmful, by allowing government to do what individuals cannot do themselves and pulling back from what it does poorly. By giving people a hand up, they create more self-sufficient citizens and can slowly reduce the size and demand for government.

 

Michael Gerson and Peter Wehner build on Olsen by providing “a conservative vision of government.” Returning to the founding, they argue that the founders did not see government as evil but as a tool to advance the public good. They believed that limited government was essential to this goal but that the strength of government might vary depending on the issue.

 

And while government sets the foundation for economic growth, politics has a moral dimension also. Democracy is based on a belief in responsible, self-governing citizens. These citizens don’t just occur, but are created and sustained by the major institutions of civil society (e.g., families, churches, civic groups) that teach people self-restraint, self-reliance, civility, reciprocity and deliberation.

 

Thus, government should pursue policies that foster civil society so people have the citizenship skills to govern themselves. The best conservative policies of the past generation that have decreased welfare dependency, reduced crime, cut taxes and improved education have done this by promoting the dignity of each individual and contributing to a flourishing society.

 

Finally, this vision does not create big government but smarter government. The vision stimulates civil society and private enterprise to create a just society, creates a government that works for the people and restores trust in our public institutions. It is now up to Republicans to create the policies to advance this vision.

 

This column originally appeared in the January 12th edition of The Jackson Sun