TO BE OR NOT TO BE – THE UPSIDE-DOWN NATURE OF ALASKA POLITICS AND UNDERSTANDING IT ALL... ~ By Tee Shan - PART 1 - Donkeys, Elephants and Rinos! Fitting names for the zoo like behavior of many in Alaska’s political environment where Democrats are running as Libertarians and centrist Republicans are running as Conservatives while Alaskan’s are left confused with their heads spinning as they try to make sense of it all. What is a Republican? What is a Conservative? How do you get to the truth and to the core of a candidate in order to understand what they “really” are? Lets start with the US Constitution. Article IV, Section 4 states-- The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government... There are four generally defining philosophical ideologies that we tend to use in America to describe our belief system; Liberalism, Centrism, Libertarianism, and Conservatism. I will only explore the depths of Conservatism and Republicanism, but will give you enough of a framework of the other three to understand where you may be intellectually when it comes to your political philosophy. Centrists and Liberals regularly attempt to place Conservatives and Libertarians into a box of narrow thinking after a few divisive issues are usually cherry picked and measured by how each opposes them through a lens that lacks any theory or understanding for why or how the Conservative and Libertarian came to that conclusion. The Libertarian and to some extent the Conservative may in fact be the most consistent of the four philosophies and the most predictable when faced with issues and problems because each operates from a set of very definable core values from which they evaluate the world in which they live. The Conservative also makes their choices based on those values and this often manifests itself in very quick responses that appear as black and white to the unintellectual outsider. Liberals and occasionally Centrist Republicans regularly use the tactic of poking at the Libertarian and Conservative by challenging them issue by issue, seeking a quick reaction or position that is short-sided and later used as a way to inaccurately demonstrate (falsely) their narrow mental capacity. The Centrist and the Liberal fail to take the time to listen to or understand the theory that went into the decision of the Conservative. When this opposition occurs the Centrist and Liberal often attempt to sway others toward their perspective by labeling the Conservative as radical, extreme or narrow minded and on occasion they actually attempt to claim they are the Conservative by using semantically similar phrases. A Libertarian generally believes that peoples rights existed before government; that the purpose of government is to protect personal and property rights; that people may dissolve governments that do not do so; and that representative government is the best form to protect rights. The United States Declaration of Independence was inspired by John Locke and in this statement you can hear the Libertarian undertones: to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it... Conservatives generally believe in personal responsibility, limited government, free markets, individual liberty, traditional American values and a strong national defense. A belief that the role of government should be to provide people the freedom necessary to pursue their own goals. Conservative policies generally emphasize empowerment of the individual to solve problems. With this simple description of Conservatism it is easy to see why at times republicans confuse their party platform with Conservatives because after all they point in the same direction and they use similar semantics, but in fact the two are not one in the same. A lot of Republicans like to call themselves Conservatives, but just merely being a Republican does not make you a Conservative. Many Republicans are, by their own actions Centrists, but they have taken on the belief that leaning right means they are Conservative. This misguided belief has been misconstrued as modern conservatism. This odd conundrum is actually “right leaning Centrism” that is often being masqueraded as Conservatism, which is in fact not Conservatism at all. It’s only a slightly less socialist position than that of a liberal. Gallup Polls find that the views and voting habits of between 10 and 20 percent (and increasing) of voting age Americans may be classified as fiscally conservative and socially liberal, or libertarian. This is based on pollsters and researchers defining libertarian views as fiscally conservative and socially liberal (based on the common US meanings of the terms) and against government intervention in economic affairs, and for expansion of personal freedoms. Through 20 polls on this topic spanning 13 years, Gallup found that voters who are libertarian on the political spectrum ranged from 17–23% of the US electorate which is much larger that previously thought before 2006. Modern Tea Party supporters hold Libertarian core values and positions and although they may be registered as Republicans their philosophy is far more Libertarian than it is Conservative or Centrist. A 2011 Reason-Rupe poll found that among those who self-identified as Tea Party supporters, 41 percent leaned libertarian and 59 percent socially conservative. In Alaska the percentage of Libertarian minded voters is about two times the national average at approximately 38%. So who exactly is the strongest block of voters? First lets ask ourselves what a RINO is? These are individuals that are Republican In Name Only and Alaska seems to have a lot of them! Here is the foundation of the Republican platform: - The free enterprise system is the most productive supplier of human needs and economic justice, - All individuals are entitled to equal rights, justice, and opportunities and should assume their responsibilities as citizens in a free society, - Fiscal responsibility and budgetary restraints must be exercised at all levels of government, - the Federal Government must preserve individual liberty by observing constitutional limitations. - Peace is best preserved through a strong national defense, - Faith in God, as recognized by our founding fathers, is essential to the moral fiber of the Nation. Conservative versus Liberal used to describe political and economic views and affiliations. The meaning of conservative or liberal could be different in different contexts - social, economic and political. They also differ in usage in different countries and have changed over time. To completely understand Conservatism you have to understand the Liberal. Liberals believe in government action to achieve equal opportunity and equality for all. It is the duty of the government to alleviate social ills and to protect civil liberties and individual and human rights. Believe the role of the government should be to guarantee that no one is in need. Liberal policies generally emphasize the need for the government to solve problems. Liberalism has grown out of European Socialism that has taken many forms in European style democracies over the past 300 years, none of which appears consistent with the republican style, constitutional government of the United States of America. The foundation principles that make you a Conservative are grounded in a more deeply held belief framework of concrete values. Many have tried to define real Conservatism, but it is been best described not as a doctrine nor as a dogma. It is a way of looking at civil social order. TO BE CONTINUED - PART 2 - COMING SOON
Posted on: Tue, 16 Dec 2014 08:20:58 +0000