‘Common Good’ as Emerging Democrat Theme

In “Democrats Rework the Rhetoric”, John D. MCKinnon writes in the Wall Street Journal about how a “Notion of the ‘Common Good’ Replaces Old-Style Bromides”

…many Democrats are embracing it as a new framework for expressing their vision of broader opportunity and equality. ie, leveling the economic playing field and backing strong unions and universal health care, shared duties and responsibilities, not only among classes but between the two parties…it as an effective way to talk about economic fairness — and reduce the Republicans’ big advantage in the linguistic arms race. eg “death tax” and “ownership society” that buttress Republicans’ probusiness, free-market views. This “has caught on, particularly among Catholic voters, and seems to be an appealing answer to Republican rhetoric.”

“The central question should not be, ‘Are you better off than you were four years ago?’ It should be, ‘How can we — all of us, especially the weak and vulnerable — be better off in the years ahead?’”

“…the common-good theme appealed to religious types, but wasn’t biblical-sounding, and so would be less likely to put off secular voters. Strategists also thought it sounded broad enough to appeal to moderates as well as liberals. A poll in 2006 by the liberal Center for American Progress showed 68% of Americans strongly agreeing that the “government should be committed to the common good and put the public’s interest above the privileges of the few.”

This is appealing to my sense of fairness and balance and I imagine resonates with the values of many in the GOP. The role I see for the GOP is to champion the most efficient and effective methods for achieving these aims; such as taxes and subsidies that are more wisely distributed among the citizens.

It seems to me that when a society lets its citizens suffer more than it is reasonable to justify there is an invitation for resentment to rise dangerously high; such as we see in Pakistan, or any right wing totalitarian state. Perhaps the path to harmony and stability is government that facilitate not only opportunity and freedom of expression, but a social safety net as well.