Ask Auntie Pinko
May 2, 2002

Dear Auntie Pinko,

Recently, you did a column on the ideals of the Democratic Party. Now I challenge you to do the same for the other side. Is there anything about the Right that you find appealing, or do you think they're all just selfish fascists who brainwash people into voting for them?

Mike,
"Squaresville, USA"

Dear Mike,

The temptation to give you a flippant response on the order of "Of course, some of my best friends are Republicans" is irresistible. But with that out of the way, let me go on to assert that Auntie Pinko has, indeed, known many members of the Republican Party who were admirable people whose ideals are similarly lofty.

In fact, I think there is far more common ground between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party's ideals than either side is willing to credit. Both Parties want to make America a place where families can prosper, children can get a good education, people can feel safe from physical threats, and the essential freedoms enshrined in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights can be enjoyed by all citizens.

Where the essential philosophical difference between the Parties lies, I think, is in their perceptions of the role of government in realizing these ideals. To put the kindest possible interpretation on the Republican position, they believe that our ideals are best realized in ensuring individual citizens the widest possible latitude to achieve them on their own, with the least possible government intervention, interference, or assistance.

There is much to be said for this approach, and Auntie Pinko would be the first to admit that the Democratic tradition of belief in a government of the people as a powerful tool to be used by the people to ensure well-being for the people has some potential perils. Governments of any size are, by their very nature, bureaucracies - and a bureaucracy is rarely the best human tool for promoting excellence.

And as I have said before (did you miss that column? A visit to Auntie's archives might be in order…) I value the old-fashioned conservative reality checks that compel us to justify change on the basis of superior overall outcomes, rather than simply pursuing it for its own sake. Conservatives are custodians of a full half of the "big picture" - that which is good about the old and the potential risks of the new. Liberals maintain the other half of the "big picture" - that which is bad about the old and the potential benefits of the new. We need both to make fully informed decisions and chart our direction thoughtfully. To lose either would be a terrible tragedy.

True conservatism will never be obsolete or irrelevant. Human nature does not change fast enough, or drastically enough, to justify the wholesale abandonment of previous generations' beliefs and practices, even if they seem incompatible with the changing tide of events. There are sound kernels of value in those tired old clichés that are often scoffed at by the avant-garde.

However, just as Auntie Pinko is not blind to the downside of the Democratic ideals and philosophies, I cannot ignore the down side of the Republican value on unconstrained individual potential and excellence. Which is, of course, its convenience as a justification for pursuing one's personal (and/or family) well-being and convenience without regard to the consequences that pursuit may have upon others.

Nor can I ignore the astonishing bumper crop of selfish fascists and religious zealots who seem to have taken over the Party's leadership in the last twenty years. If you are a real, old-fashioned conservative at heart, Mike, I'd like to put in a personal plea for you to get more involved in Republican politics and transform the Party back from the Greedy Old Plutocrats into the Grand Old Party. And thanks for asking Auntie Pinko!

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