No Winners At The Moment

"There were no winners among Federalists. The Republicans were ecstatic."  These words from historian Edward Larson describe the aftermath of Alexander Hamilton’s public letter regarding the “conduct” of John Adams, during the election of 1800. Hamilton and Adams, remember, were both Federalists. This was a savaging of the head of the ticket by a small-minded foe who put personal animosity ahead of party unity. Hamilton, in essence, decided he would rather see Thomas Jefferson elected President over John Adams. 

 

In the letter, Hamilton spared nothing. 

 

 

 

We didn’t have Alexander Hamilton in 2008. Instead, we had David Brooks. We had Peggy Noonan (who, like Hamilton, still asked people to support the candidate they had just savaged). The biggest political sin committed by these pundits wasn’t their criticism of Sarah Palin, it was their timing. Let’s not forget that Hamilton accused Adams of having a temper that could harm the country, but Hamilton’s pride was just as dangerous.  His ill-timed screed helped fracture a party and eventually led to his death in a duel with Vice President Aaron Burr. Could the same be said of some in our chattering class today?

 

I don’t occupy a heightened perch from which to proclaim my opinions. Maybe that’s why I’m tempted to shout, “A Pox on both your houses!” to the various factions squabbling over the future of the Republican Party. Duty, however, prevents me from silencing myself or turning away from the fight. I’m obligated to my children, if no one else, to attempt to be heard over the cacophonous in-fighting. I don’t want them to grow up in a world where conservatism has made itself irrelevant.  

 

From where I sit in a suburban cul-de-sac, the fight isn’t over whether to “reform” or “restore” conservatism. The fight is actually larger than that. The thing that draws fiscal conservatives and social conservatives together is this: Modern liberalism is anathematic to both fiscal conservatives (who can’t abide by the bloated government fiscal liberalism promotes) and social conservatives (who can’t abide by the government-assisted loosening of cultural mores). We don’t have to like it, but if we want to win, we have to tolerate it. The other option is to bring about the painful death of the Republican Party and wait for one party rule to run its natural course. The last time that happened was in 1800, when the Republican-Democrats won the White House and didn’t relinquish control for 36 years. When they finally lost, it wasn’t to a Federalist. That party had long since died. Instead, the Whigs had formed to take their place. 

 

Is this what we wish for ourselves; to argue amongst ourselves over who best can lead the party while the electorate looks on in disgust, to fight over who gets to be the less irrelevant of the Republican factions? Are we so stupid as to ignore our history, rife with warnings from our leaders about what happens when we allow issues to divide us? Benjamin Franklin once said, “We must hang together, or we will surely hang separately.” Abraham Lincoln said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” We must find common ground or be torn apart. 

 

With that self-evident truth before us, the question then becomes how do we find that common ground? First and foremost, prioritize. Don’t think about what your biggest issue is, but rationally decide what the biggest issues are in our country today. It’s evident the number one issue for most Americans right now is the economy, and Republicans have seemingly no message other than “don’t raise taxes”. That simply isn’t enough. We need to be able to provide concrete examples of policies that will provide stability in the economy and opportunity for all. 

 

This is where the “reformers” can help. We need new ideas based on sound conservative principles. We don’t have to come up with just a macroplan for the nation’s economy. We can and should develop policy proposals that are complementary of a national plan, but that are specifically targeted to the middle class, urban poor, rural poor, and others. If these voters feel that the Republican Party has nothing to offer them, they will stay away.  Conservatism should work for everyone, but right now there are many Americans who don’t see conservative policies as beneficial or even relevant to them. We ignore those voters at our own peril, and possibly our own demise.