The GOP's future, and Rick Santorum. by Van Bryant, II
(libertarian)
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Since the 1980's, the GOP has followed a political strategy pioneered by their annointed saint, Ronald Reagan: taking choice elements of libertarian ideology and distilling them into applause-winning campaign platitudes.
The strategy worked in the short-term, giving the right stances starkly different from, as well as sensible-sounding arguments against, the left. It was, and still is popular in conservative circles to claim quasi-libertarian ideals: "I am libertarian/Randian/Rothbardian on the economy, conservative on morality," et cetera. Republicans are certainly not afraid to pay lip service to thinkers like Hayek, Rand, and von Mises when votes are involved.[1]
Unfortunately, republican strategists ignored a long-term flaw in this strategy: the uniqueness of Ronald Reagan. In three decades, only the Gipper has had the personality to win and maintain widespread support despite the obvious dissonance between libertarian talk and conservative action. Though the right today is quick to channel Reagan in their appeals for voter support[2], they are at best pale imitations of the original. Worse still, as government's power has grown, so has the gulf between conservative and libertarian values. It becomes increasingly-difficult for republicans to win support by promising one thing, while consistently delivering the other.
Another strategic miscalculation of the GOP was an underestimation of libertarianism itself. Support for the platform has grown well beyond the republican bromides, attracting it's own following and now working subversively against the establishment. Ron Paul's campaign, in previous years a mere blip on the radar, stands today as a viable, if long-shot, contender.
Conservatives have only themselves to blame: their foolish actions have done the lion's share of growing this counter-movement. In promoting libertarian values while delivering the exact opposite, they have sown the seeds of their own decline. This helps to explain why few of the candidates will directly engage Dr. Paul in the debates: when directly compared to the real deal, a Reaganesque "lip-service libertarian" fails miserably. It's been failing since Reagan first claimed "the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism." [3] Saying something so seemingly poignant, while conducting protectionist schemes, pursuing global hegemony, and taxing his citizens via stealth, set a precedent that would undermine, is undermining his party.
This is why I believe the recent Santorum surge merits our close scrutiny. Here is a candidate who has gone against the grain of his peers by dropping any pretense of libertarian values. If there ever could exist a "quintessential neoconservative," you have it in the ex-Senator. His social stances across the board are blatant attempts to out-conservative his conservative peers. His foreign policy is as bellicose as ever has been heard in a national debate. As far as his views on the individual citizen versus the state?
One of the criticisms I make is to what I refer to as more of a libertarianish right. You know, the left has gone so far left and the right in some respects has gone so far right that they touch each other. They come around in the circle. This whole idea of personal autonomy, well I don’t think most conservatives hold that point of view. Some do. They have this idea that people should be left alone, be able to do whatever they want to do, government should keep our taxes down and keep our regulations low, that we shouldn’t get involved in the bedroom, we shouldn’t get involved in cultural issues. You know, people should do whatever they want. Well, that is not how traditional conservatives view the world and I think most conservatives understand that individuals can’t go it alone... There is no such society that I am aware of, where we’ve had radical individualism and that it succeeds as a culture.[4]
The Santorum campaign could be another flash in the pan, like so many of his competitors. Romney is still considered by many to be the frontrunner. Even so, I opine that this is not the last we have seen of "pure" neocon candidates. With libertarian thought continuing to grow in prominence and more republicans "turning heretic," we shall see more members of the GOP abandoning the muddled strategies of the past to take the Santorum path: offering a more consistent, albeit statist, stance.
Sources:
[1]: Slate.com: "Bachmann Hits the Books" [2]: Wall Street Journal Opinion: "Reagan Had the Recipe for Success. Let's Follow It." [3]: Reason Magazine: "Inside Ronald Reagan" [4]: Cato-at-liberty.org: "Rick Santorum v. Limited Government"
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