More priciple, less strategy

Posted by Saint Somebody on Tuesday, February 02, 2010 4:58:18 PM

Sixty years ago Eric Hoffer observed that the frustrated individual desires freedom from responsibility more than freedom from restraint. He further noted "the freedom the masses crave is not the freedom of self-expression and self -realization but freedom from the intolerable burden of an autonomous existence."

Some of us fail by dint of our own efforts. Politicians comfort us by preaching that the playing field is tilted against us and government needs to level it. Hence, change. The Democrat's message suggests the field is severely tilted, handicapping many of us. This message is hard to carry from election to election, but it certainly worked in the last one.

The Republicans have increasingly committed to the courageous strategy of riding both horses. They ride the 'freedom from restraint' horse during campaigns and the 'freedom from responsibility' horse while governing. It is time for the Republicans to place a bet; a principled wager, not a calculated one. You can bet both black and red on each and every spin of the roulette wheel. You never win but occasionally green comes up and you lose both bets. This is how Republicans achieved the electoral hat trick in 2008.

Republicans can continue the strategy of seeking a soft landing for many economic hardships but there are political consequences attached. No matter what direction Republicans take, Democrats will always be riding to their left. They will always endorse an even softer landing and they will always appear more empathetic in the process.

The 'freedom from restraint' philosophy takes some stomach. It is necessary to endorse success without promoting or enabling larceny. It is both appropriate and advisable to address systemic financial hardships, but you must do so without supporting a massive income redistribution that portrays 80 percent of the voters as the helpless victims of the other 20 percent. Most importantly, it recognizes that power is a responsibility, not a campaign tool for upcoming elections. Are Republicans here yet? I doubt it.

The Democrats don't vacillate much. They have chosen a path and they stick to it. However, they would do better to focus more attention on wealth creation and less on how the creators spend it. The Democrats run the risk of judging all the voters to be either selfish or childlike and incapable. This type of paternalism gets tiresome and change might once again be in the offing.