The Republican Problem

The colloquial definition of insanity is to repeat the same behavior and expect a different result. That’s the fundamental problem I have with the Republican Party. Their ideas are reasonable and their goals laudable, but a few simple facts and a quick look at history show that their plan doesn’t work.

They are generally considered the party of the free market. They espouse a belief that capitalism will solve many of society’s ailments by unlimited growth – if we make everyone rich then we won’t have to deal with the problems of poverty. That opportunity exists and if you work hard, make good decisions and follow the rules, you will succeed. It’s a worldview based upon their own lives. It’s true for middle-class white people so it must be true for all. It’s not.

A quick look at the facts shows that our country does not have a lot of social mobility, especially among disadvantaged groups. You can debate the reasons, you can argue that opportunity still exists, but it’s impossible to say the playing field is level and the result is optimum. The truth of the matter is the system doesn’t work for many people in this country. People who start out poor, those who lack any connections to the well-to-do in society, or merely possess the wrong skin color, face a much harder path to middle class. Their access to a decent education is limited. They are treated differently by society (more likely to be suspended for the same infractions, more likely to be denied with the same application, more likely to be judged negatively in any interaction). To start a race in the lead and say those behind simply have to try harder is not only morally bankrupt, it’s self-delusional. They will never catch up, and in the end that drags down the entire team.

It's also logically inconsistent to blame the disadvantaged for their own position while at the same time expect them to be the ones to change. They disregard the poor, deny the effects of discrimination and disenfranchisement, and generally lay the blame for the ills of society on those who suffer from them the most. Then they turn around and suggest the solution is for those same people to spontaneous stop making poor decisions (like voting for the other party) and lift themselves up by their own bootstraps.  Any program that redistributes money from the 'successful' to those who didn't earn it is a travesty because only the rich know how to use money effectively. If you show no respect for 47% of the population how do you expect them to fix their own mess? Is it not obvious that they will need more education, more support and guidance to make better decisions? Isn't that how we should be spending our resources?

Even if we could grow the pie for everyone it wouldn’t create the result Republicans seem to expect. Many of them already argue that America’s poor are actually well off when compared to the rest of the world. They have phones and indoor plumbing, for heaven’s sake! But if the goal is to make everyone rich it will fail on two accounts. The first being rich is a relative term. It doesn’t matter how many luxuries our poor have - if they have less than the rest of society they will still be poor. They will rightly realize that other people not only have more stuff but they have more opportunities. They will feel poor. It’s human nature. And that’s why the second point is more important: our goal is not wealth but happiness. While some people equate wealth with success and success with happiness, on a societal level that doesn’t hold. It’s true that a growing economy does lead to more people feeling good about their lives, but it doesn’t reach everyone and it never will. It becomes a question of whether we want a world that is good for most people or do we want to help everyone.

The kicker is that if Republicans do believe the answer lies in the economy, they should vote Democratic. It’s very hard to look back at our history since WWII and not see that our economy has consistently and measurable done much better under Democratic presidents. Our debt has grown because of Republican presidents. We all do better when the wealthy are taxed higher and income inequality is lower. Expanding social welfare (Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, Affordable Care Act) has succeeded where the free market has failed. The things that have made people’s lives better are, for the most part, more socialist than capitalist.

On foreign policy, the Republican approach starts with a similar prejudice that what is good for us is good for everyone else. That if the world could be converted into a democratic, capitalistic society everyone would be happy. They truly believe bombing bad regimes into submission and destroying corrupt governments will create a void into which Judeo-Christian beliefs will spring and free markets will arise. Once again it ignores the reality of the world that now exists and the history of such actions which have failed time and time again. We can’t create democracies. We can’t expect everyone else to share our values. We can’t destroy without the ability to rebuild and expect people to be thankful for our efforts.

On an individual front, Republicans are simply self-contradictory. They argue against government interference and for individual rights, yet they want our laws to be based upon their religious beliefs. They say everyone should be treated equally but ignore all the data which shows it isn’t happening. They advocate for choice when it comes to owning guns and running a business but not when it comes to who to marry or what to put in your own body. The overarching theme is that as long as people are similar to them, believe what they believe and act in a way they approve, we can let them be. If not, we should try to change them for the better. It’s for their own good and the good of society. It’s hubris.

I believe that most Republicans approach these questions looking for an honest way to help everyone. Their hearts are good and their intentions honorable. They are doing what they think is best and a lot of what they say sounds like it should be true. But it’s only truthy. The world isn’t homogeneous and because of that it doesn’t operate the way they would like it to. What works for them won’t work for everyone else and we have decades of evidence to show the failings of such an approach. It’s hard to admit you’re wrong. Life is complicated and it takes a lot of work to study reality and accept solutions that don’t fit your personal beliefs. Republican ideals - creating a better world for everyone where people have freedom and opportunity and a fair chance to succeed – are worthy goals. But we haven’t gotten there following their policies. That’s not the world we live in or what their positions lead to. Instead of expecting the result to change, perhaps they need to change the approach.