Why I'm a Republican

Generally speaking, political issues fall into three admittedly imprecise categories. They are as follows: 1) social/cultural/moral, 2) economic/fiscal, and 3) foreign policy/national security. While there are obvious problems with this overly simplistic mode of sorting each and every political issue into one of three groups, it works well enough for the purposes of this essay.
In the forefront of the first category, which I will henceforth refer to as “social issues” because that seems to be the most common label, are abortion and gay marriage. Other issues that would fall under this banner include gun control, immigration (legal and illegal), euthanasia, religious displays in the public sphere, legalization of marijuana, flag burning, and gays in the military, to name just a handful.

In the second category, we’re talking most obviously about issues like taxes, social welfare programs/entitlements, and health care. Debates over these things naturally require us to answer larger questions about how big our government ought to be and what sort of functions our government ought to perform. Thus, the economic/fiscal issues category necessarily includes the age old debate over what sorts of powers the federal government in Washington DC should have and what powers should be reserved to state and local governments.

In the third category, we’re confronted with questions of America’s proper role in the world and what sort of foreign policy our nation should pursue. Should we lean more toward interventionism, embracing our superpower status and aggressively pursuing our interests abroad, or should we shade toward isolationism? Should we preoccupy ourselves with multilateralism and seek the approval of other nations or be willing to “go it alone?” Questions of homeland security also comprise this category; for example, how much should government infringe upon our liberty in the name of national security?

The prior paragraphs are meant as a broad overview of the three categories, not an exhaustive list of issues.

It’s undoubtedly true that not every issue fits neatly into one of the three categories. Take, for instance, immigration. There are moral and cultural dimensions to the immigration issue- the debate over assimilation versus multiculturalism stands out in my mind. Should immigrants incorporate themselves into American society in such a way that they become Americans first and Mexicans, Indians, Chinese, etc. second? To put it succinctly, should we aspire to be a melting pot or a tossed salad?

The debate over illegal immigration touches on economic concerns as well. The idea that illegal immigrants take jobs from American workers bothers many of us, especially in the midst of an economic downturn that has caused rampant unemployment. And there is also undeniably a law and order element to the illegal immigration debate. Many see a tension: on the one hand, the United States is a compassionate nation and a nation of immigrants; on the other hand, we are a nation of laws and we must uphold them. Finally, as I have pointed out many times, a broken immigration system and porous borders are potentially devastating liabilities in the midst of a global war against terrorists, which makes immigration an issue with national security ramifications.

Some major political issues don’t really seem to fit neatly into any of the three categories. The best example I can think of is energy policy, which has quickly become a leading policy concern for both parties. You could make a strong case that it belongs in the second category, since cap-and-trade and green jobs programs are economic issues. But the goal of energy independence is also clearly related to national security/foreign policy, since it would end our reliance on other countries, many of them directly or indirectly hostile to the US, for our energy needs.

On the most basic level, I’m a Republican because I tend to agree with the Republican Party’s position on more of the issues. Of the three issue clusters I’ve laid out, I would say that I’m firmly in the Republican camp on two of them: economic/fiscal and foreign policy/national security. I believe strongly in the ideals that this country was founded upon: limited government, individual liberty, personal responsibility, and equality of opportunity. A big government is inefficient, ineffective, expensive, inherently oppressive, and inevitably corrupt. I believe government should stick to its constitutional functions, allowing competition and innovation to flourish in the free-market system.

When it comes to the market, government ought to be a referee, not a player. Taxes should be low, and our tax dollars should go toward ensuring that government keeps individuals and their property secure. Government should not be engaged in the redistribution of wealth. I categorically reject the idea, espoused by liberal Democrats like Franklin Roosevelt and Barack Obama, that there is a fixed pie of wealth for society to divide up. There is, in reality, an ever-expanding pie, if only we allow the free-market system to operate without excessive government meddling.

Granted, Republicans have been guilty in recent years of profligate spending and growing government. But the Democratic Party has been the party of Big Government from Woodrow Wilson up through FDR, LBJ, and Barack Obama. As the Reagan years made clear, the Republican Party remains the most effective mechanism that limited government advocates have for gradually scaling back the size and scope of government. The party lost its way but hopefully got its wake-up call in 2006 and 2008.

Since government’s highest purpose is to protect individuals and their private property from harm or theft, I believe we should pursue policies at home and abroad that keep the homeland safe and advance our national interests- after all, that’s what other countries do. This means pursuing and defeating those individuals, groups, or nations that attack us, and doing it with energy and vigor. It means unashamedly looking out for Number One, even if that means ruffling some feathers around the globe, rather than kowtowing to the United Nations and allowing nations like Russia and China to hold our foreign policy hostage through the UN Security Council. I don’t believe in treating terrorists like common criminals or awarding them the full constitutional protections that Americans receive. I believe in treating Islamic terrorists hell-bent on slaughtering innocent Americans like the war criminals and unlawful enemy combatants that they are. We need to be vigilant at home and remember that the best defense in a good offense. Since 9/11, we’ve been fighting them overseas. If we stop doing that, we can expect to have to fight them here.

On the social/moral/cultural front, I would say that I only lean Republican, because my views are scattered. I disagree with the party’s position on gay marriage, for one. I personally find abortion to be an utterly repulsive practice, but I’m also sympathetic to some of the pro-choice arguments. Both of these issues should, as I have written elsewhere, be decided at the state level rather than the federal level…and it should be the elected branches of government, the state legislatures and governors, who make the call, not a small coterie of unaccountable, activist judges who believe it is their duty to legislate from the bench.

On the cultural side of things, I am an ardent proponent of “the melting pot” conception of America. If you come to America, you ought to learn English and assimilate yourself into American culture. After all, what is American culture if not a whole host of diverse cultures blended into one unique mixture? We are a nation of immigrants, and that has been a consistent source of strength throughout our history. But our country is great because we are all, regardless of our heritage, our accent, or our country of origin, unified by this simple idea: we are, above all, Americans.

On the subject of the proper place for religion in our society, I believe in what the Founders professed: that the government ought to establish no official state religion, and that people ought to enjoy the freedom to worship whatever God or gods they choose without fear of persecution so long as they aren’t hurting anyone. But that doesn’t mean we should do silly things like remove God from the Pledge of Allegiance or take the 10 Commandments out of our courthouses. The Judeo-Christian tradition is something to celebrate and be proud of, regardless of one’s personal religious beliefs. Judeo-Christian values have made our nation the freest, most prosperous, and most just nation on the face of the earth, and for this we owe a debt of gratitude.

My outlook on government and my political views derive from my fundamental belief in the bedrock principles that this nation was founded upon. Government should do a few things and do them very well instead of doing a bunch of things and doing them poorly, at great taxpayer expense. It’s important to remember that government is indeed capable of operating as a force for good. Demonizing government across the board is as baseless and it is useless. But criticizing the government and imploring our leaders to do better is a patriotic duty.

I’m a Republican. I’m proud of it. And I steadfastly believe that the Republican Party is our best hope and the only vehicle by which we can make our government work better going forward in the 21st century.