Emerging Political Identities: Idealism or Realism
David Brooks writes in today’s NY Times about “Children of Polarization”, “For many students, the main axis of their politics is not between left and right but between idealism and realism”
…I’m struck by the universal tone of postboomer pragmatism.
…In general, their writing is calm, optimistic and ironical. Most students in my class showed an aversion to broad philosophical arguments and valued the readings that were concrete and even wonky. Many wrote that they had moved lately toward the center.
…he now finds himself, as he says, cursed by centrism — trapped between the Pat Robertsons on the right and the Democratic elites on the left, many of whom he finds personally distasteful.
He has come to admire the prairie pragmatists, like Montana’s Jon Tester and Brian Schweitzer. In a long conversation with his brother Sage, who works on the ranch, Kendall decided that what the country needs is a party led by “entrepreneurial cowboy politicians� with a global perspective.
…He’s a big fan of school vouchers and now considers himself a moderate Democrat: “I’m a Democrat because I think the Democratic Party is a better vehicle for the issues I care about: balancing the budget, checking President Bush’s foreign policy and curtailing global warming. However, I’ll switch to the Republicans in a heartbeat if I believe my ideas are better received in the G.O.P.â€?
For many students, the main axis of their politics is not between left and right but between idealism and realism. They have developed a suspicion of sweepingly idealistic political ventures, and are now a fascinating mixture of youthful hopefulness and antiutopian modesty.
If my Duke students are representative, then the U.S. is about to see a generation that is practical, anti-ideological, modest and centrist (maybe to a fault).
That’s probably good news for presidential candidates like Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Clinton, whose main selling point is their nuts-and-bolts ability to get things done.
But over all it’s bad news for Republicans. While the G.O.P. was once thought of as the practical, businesslike party, now most of my students see the Republicans as the impractical, ideological party — on social and science issues as well as foreign and domestic policy.
That’s not the way to win the children of polarization.
Political sands are always shifting. Labels become obsolete. Paradigms evolve. People with little interest in politics can find themselves bewildered to figure out who stands for what. Political parties are challenged to be in a constant state of reinvention.
I have been a Democrat and a Republican and an Independent. I changed when the parties changed. Now I find myself sliding back towards appreciating the Democrats because they are remaking themselves into a party of pragmatism and inclusion. The GOP has lost the benefit of the doubt that they are the party of fiscal restraint, organizational competence, the masters of foreign affairs. So what do they want to be? It is a new game.
We each have own way of organizing our worlds. I tend to embrace the progressive aims to move the world towards more fairness, health and opportunity. I tend to embrace the conservative method of optimizing free markets to most efficiently utilize resources. The most viable political movement that best combines these gets my money and vote. Apparently the next generation of leaders are sorting through the same choice.
23 Responses to “Emerging Political Identities: Idealism or Realism”
The rich white kids in political science classes may think that they are centrist but if there votes keep the Congressional Black Caucus in power, then, in reality, they are leftist and they probably actually know it but are afriad to say it to a media person.
I also find it funny that a newspaper in one of the bluest cities in the United States in one of the bluest states in the United States claims that the Democrats are are fiscal conservatives. What Democrats support, when people actually listen, is that the Democratic Party’s idea of fiscal control are massive tax increase but no spending buts. The Republicans were idiots for spending like drunk sailors but the Democratic solution is to shake down law abiding citizens before they spend like drunk sailors.
If those ‘rich white kids’ vote for Webb, Tester and Schuler they are modertes, regardless of SDrhetoric.
I concluded a while ago that David Brooks is a feckless idiot who is so wary of alienating his base that it hinders his ability to break free from his self-imposed political shackles. But he does occasionally makes some good points and does so here.
But it is Paul who hits a very big nail on the head.
In the interest of full disclosure, he and I were having a bit of a joust by email earlier today. I said that beyond generic labels like Democrat and Republican and Independent, African-American and Armenian and Argentinian, I have come to believe that labels can be a trap and limit discourse.
I challenged Paul to try to label me as a registered Democrat who votes for more Republicans, an early supporter of the Iraq war who now vociferously opposes it, an opponent of impeaching George Bush, a proponent of decriminalizing marijuana use who favors stiffer penalties for some other drugs, and so on and so forth.
Paul’s reply was priceless and I quote it in full here:
Thanks Paul (via Shaun), your words say so well what many of us think and feel.
With your permission I will quote you along with another favorite discriptor of the conflict/oppertunity between the world and self:
“I tend to embrace the conservative method of optimizing free markets to most efficiently utilize resources.”
I tend more to the right side on economical issues, too, but I can’t see that there’s anything like a “conservative method of optimizing free markets”, Paul. I see cronyism, even bribery, no bid contracts, lots of suspicious subsidies, oligopolys in the energy, telecommunication and media markets, de facto monopoly in the market for Computer OS and office software, legislation that hinders the information process that’s necessary for the markets of credit card companies, HCOs and insurances to work, an inbalance of power on the labor market, and lots of other irregularities that violate every ideal of free markets contributing to the welfare of the nation. Adam Smith is rotating in his grave, I guess.
After six years of a conservative presidency, where are the signs of “optimized free markets”? Or are you referring to some obscure conserative economical pundit I haven’t heard of, whose ideas never made it tinto the party program?
Gray,
I share your disappointment in the current crop of conservative leaders and your list of economic distortions they promote.
I was referring the the purer form of “conservative” that embraced Milton Friedman’s free markets. I could get excited about a GOP movement to go back towards free market purity. Starting with tax simplification and reducing subsidies that are not in the interest of health or national security.
Rudi,
The question is whether people like Webb or Tester will stick around for 20 years in order to gain in sort of power in the seniority driven Senate. I just cannot see Webb or Tester sticking around like the Byrd, Kennedy, or Biden.
In the long run, the kids are mouthing the words that puts them squarely in the Democratic party. They are will to give the other factions of the Democratic party as long as they get what they want. That makes them exactly the same as the black, hispanic, jewish, gay, union, and government employee wings of the Democratic party.
The NY Times has an article about the lack of competition in government contracts. Increasing competition in this area could be another leg of the GOP platform if they want to enhance the image that they are not the party of special interests.
“I was referring the the purer form of “conservativeâ€? that embraced Milton Friedman’s free markets.”
Friedman? Supply side economics largely failed. I support a Keynesian view of the economy, of course.
SD For the short term the current (recently elected)Demoncrats are moderate. What happened to the NE Repubs?
Due to demographics and gerrymandering the ‘rich white student’ doesn’t vote in the BC districts. False claim!!
The middle class whites might have thought that they were voting for moderates but the end results is that people like John Conyers, Stephanie Tubbs Jones, and Charles Rangel into committee chairs.
The rich, white moderates may want fiscal conservatism, school vouchers, and limited government but when you look at the current crops of committee chairman that were put into power by the (justified) rejection of the Republicans is against most of what they stand for.
“The rich, white moderates may want fiscal conservatism, school vouchers, and limited government but when you look at the current crops of committee chairman that were put into power by the (justified) rejection of the Republicans is against most of what they stand for.”
Most former right wing committee chirmen also were against much what moderate stand for. And they didn’t even pretend to do teir job.
If the ‘Contract for America’ Pepublicants did their jobs Conyers and the likes wouldn’t be in power. Is Conyers any worse than Roberts(KS). IMHO no.
Here’s what I put in as the tag of my new blog: “Change happens. It gets faster. Admit it. Live with it. Get over it.”.
And in one of my recent posts I make a small stab at expressing my view of the problem of the small government philosophy and it relates to the New York Times article that Paul links to in his earlier comment. In fact the article goes much deeper into the problems of current government contracting than just the lack of competition.
Amen Shaun, Brooks is the guy who sets himself out as and “expert” on small town America. What Brooks does is he does a drive by through some small town, then writes a book about it (of course everyone he comes across is a saint.
The amazing part is the number of people who actually buy those books.
Brooks writes his story line as if living too near a Starbucks or like Starbucks it says something about your politics….he writes stuff that just beyond stupid.
“superdestroyer”,
Have you even met any of the students in my political science classes?
Didn’t think so.
The middle class whites might have thought that they were voting for moderates but the end results is that people like John Conyers, Stephanie Tubbs Jones, and Charles Rangel into committee chairs.
The middle class whites might have thought that they were voting for moderates but the end results is that people like John Conyers, Stephanie Tubbs Jones, and Charles Rangel into committee chairs.
Superdestroyer that may be true- although I don’t see how they could have missed it, since the GOP was constantly reminding them in their campaign ads, lol. What exactly have any of these radical liberals done so far that is so scary?Pelosi’s agenda doesn’t seem overly leftist to me. Many moderates were driven into the Democratic Party because of the realization that the Republican Party no longer represented their values. Any other option seemed better.
Here’s a question for the conservatives. What conservative issue has the republican party advanced effectively in the past 6 years? Lip service doesn’t count. I don’t care how much they talked about banning gay marriage or privatizing social security; they didn’t do it. So, do tell, what conservative ideal have they kept up? What sacred cow have they managed to make the law of the land? What have they done for conservatives lately?
Lynx,
That’s a fair question.
I was somewhat excited when the GOP took control of government that we would see all the policies that they are reknowned for: Reduced subsidies, simplified tax system, eliminating obstacles to competition,
a leveling of the playing field in international competition, etc. My hopes were dashed. They have been primarily a party of favoritism to Oil, Pharma, the Military Industry complex, Wall Street and the Rich.
Hopefully the next crew can straighten this out.
Lynx there appear to be two areas where the administration and its GOP congressional allies have remained true to conservative ideals- tax cuts and Supreme Court picks. Otherwise they have betrayed the movement.
Good comment, Kim!
)
(see, I’m keeping my word