Beyond left, right, up, down: Labels and ideas in politics
Marketing matters — and in no place more so than politics.
For example, the Democratic Party has done a superb job of recasting itself as the party of the “progressives,” as the moniker “liberal” grew pejorative to many American sensibilities. Liberal, in its recent manifestation, conveys a nanny state, which very few thoughtful Americans find inspirational. Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea promptly come to mind.
Likewise, on the Republican side of things, it’s high time to make a marketing shift. The word “conservative” often fails to galvanize many of the folks in the center of the political spectrum. (Cartoonish Archie Bunker comes to mind, for anyone over 40.) And it’s these citizens, representing the center, who turn elections.
So, when it comes to language, how about a turn from “conservatism” to “essentialism” as a label? (To be sure, not all are on board. Bill McCollum, iconic Florida conservative, tells me he’s not ready to abandon the term conservative.)
Nonetheless, here are five attributes for any Americans interested in the movement that promises the most human flourishing. Its essential strengths are: Currency. A military with the resources and resolve for global liberty and self-determination.
An entrepreneurial class to innovate and create jobs.
Options for mothers to send children to the schools of their choice.
Recognition of the JudeoChristian method to inspire and inform our social fabric, with charity for all faiths.
There is great significance when words align with deeds. For example, in regard to entrepreneurs, and innovation and job creation, I’d ask my progressive friends:
What is “progressive” about the New York City’s mayor opposition to Uber? Ridesharing is a tremendous innovation, what with traffic and air pollution reduction, middle-class incomes for its drivers, and to say nothing of the high-quality experience of the passenger.
What’s the next Uber, incidentally? We can find out only if Washington bureaucrats and their regulation-minded counterparts stay out of the way, leaving entrepreneurs unencumbered and energized to benefit everyone.
Finally, I’m reminded of President Ronald Reagan’s endorsement of Barry Goldwater for the presidency in 1964. Reagan uttered parenthetically, “It’s not left or right; it’s up or down,” with respect to the political spectrum.
Now that’s “thinking different” about marketing, as marketing genius Steve Jobs was fond of saying. The construct of left verses right should be tossed in the ash heap of political analysis; its function only serves pundits and the chattering class.
John Stuart Mill, whom I’d nominate as the founding father of “essentialism,” put it this way:
“Whatever crushes individuality is despotism, by whatever name it may be called and whether it professes to be enforcing the will of God or the injunctions of men.”
Do you wish for power to amass in Washington or at your dining room table, to ennoble the individuals sitting around it?
Up or down, it’s essential for Americans to think this through.