Cradle To Grave Narrative Wins
The day after the Presidential election, Rush Limbaugh said the results proved that people voted for Santa Claus. The point was that people voted for a government that would do things for them and give things to them.
Limbaugh was savaged by the left and the media for saying this. Proving that either the critics are unaware of their own messaging, or they are attempting to convince others that this is not the message at all.
But let’s be completely honest about it… that IS the message.
Remember the “Life of Julia”?
The Obama campaign website slide show detailed how the fictional Julia benefits from government programs at literally every stage of her life. From the 3-year-old Julia enrolling in the Head Start program, to college aid, to Obamacare, to taxpayer-funded contraception and abortion, to pregnancy services (no father is mentioned, by the way), to small business loans, ending with Medicare and Social Security.
I came across William McGurn’s column in the Wall Street Journal this week. It is well worth a read, even if it is a bit depressing for a limited-government guy like myself.
For the voting blocs that went so disproportionately for the president’s re-election—notably, Latinos and single women—the Julia view of government clearly resonates. To put it another way, maybe Americans who have reason to feel insecure about their futures don’t find a government that promises to be there for them when they need it all that menacing.
McGurn correctly notes that the liberal appeals to the short-term need, while conservatives argue an abstract long-term approach ~ The liberal is far less abstract: Here are some food stamps so your children don’t go hungry tonight.
So what to do?
McGurn argues for conservatives to engage in more education in more places. To sell the message like Milton Friedman did in his landmark “Free to Choose” series.
While this would be helpful, I’d suggest an additional path – creation of more charities to do the things that government should not do.
As a free market capitalist I understand that the GOP is losing in the marketplace of ideas. You can blame slick advertising campaigns and poor salesmen. But the bottom line remains – more and more people are accepting the statist messaging. The results are tangible and immediate, while the costs are distant and unclear.
I think conservatives need to start engaging at-risk populations with direct charitable programs that operate outside the sphere of government. If they succeed it will be enlightening to see whether the Republican party joins those efforts.
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Pete Kaliner hosts the 3-6 p.m. drive-time slot on Asheville’s WWNC Radio. Visit his blog and listen live.
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