Understanding the liberal agenda

By Robert S. Sargent Jr.
web posted August 2, 2004

… to promote an egalitarian society is not just ethical but
admirable. From The Ethicist by Randy Cohen.

What drives the liberal agenda? And what drives the
conservative agenda? To me, the conservative agenda is an
agenda that adheres to the original concept of our Constitution.
That concept is one of a very limited federal government, and a
system that decides social policy through a local, democratic
process.

I say "conservative" and not Republican for a reason. I don't
think most Republicans think in terms of the Tenth Amendment,
or that lower taxes might lead to a smaller government. I think
most Republicans think in terms of lower taxes meaning people
can keep more of what they earn. Or, people should take the
consequences for their own actions. Or, we are losing the virtues
that make America great, and so on. I also don't think that
Republican politicians think in terms of a central driving agenda.
If they have to abandon principle to get votes, they certainly will.
President Bush has expanded the federal government in ways
that we thought only liberals would do, and I'm sure he's thinking
it will get him votes.

In the same way, I don't think Democrats think in terms of a
driving principle. They think in terms of issues like abortion,
racism, gay rights, what's fair for the little guy, and so on. And
Democratic politicians are the same as their Republican
counterpoint. When John Edwards campaigns in North Carolina,
he speaks of Kerry's "values." And even though most
Democrats, I believe, opposed the Vietnam War, Kerry is
touting his service there. All politicians go to where they perceive
they can win votes.

But underneath it all are the intellectuals, the activists, the
influencers. Both parties have them. The think tanks, the writers
of policy books and so on. So what is the underlying principle
that drives the liberal (not Democratic) agenda? I'm convinced
it's egalitarianism. It is a constant drive toward equality.

Over the years, I have questioned some of the beliefs of the left.
After being confronted with the atrocities of the Soviet Union,
how could intellectuals of the 1930s and 40s, have possibly
admired Stalin and Communism? Similarly, how can spokesmen
of the left like Harry Belefonte praise a Fidel Castro, a dictator
of a totalitarian government? That wasn't the point. The point is
that these were and are egalitarian societies. How can the left
support a system, Social Security, which takes money from the
workers and hands it over to the retired, many who are very
wealthy? That's not the point. Social Security is for all retirees.
Similarly, there is Medicare, and the concept of universal
healthcare. Why not let the rich pay for their own health care,
which they can easily afford, and have the government just help
the poor? That's not the point. Universal healthcare makes
everyone equal. And, finally, if it were possible to demonstrate
that the poor in the United States were better off than 90% of
the rest of the world, it would be irrelevant. The point is the
disparity between the rich and the poor.

This egalitarian drive can be seen in the effort to make black
people "equal." The 1964 Civil Rights Act said, "No person in
the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national
origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied benefits of,
or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity
receiving Federal financial assistance." With no discrimination
allowed, that meant everybody started the race at the same
starting place.

It was thought that, since discrimination still existed, programs to
find qualified blacks should be implemented. Fair enough, but it
was quickly perceived that starting the race at the same point
was unfair to blacks who had been held back for so long, and
finding qualified blacks was sometimes a problem. The solution?
By lowering standards, blacks were admitted to many schools
and programs previously denied them. The next step was to
extend entitlements to all ethnic groups (except males of
European descent) regardless of any history of discrimination.
Where we are today has little relationship to the mandate of the
1964 Civil Rights Act: we are accepting the idea of equal results,
rather than equal opportunity.

We find this movement toward egalitarian principles in the
feminist movement, gay rights movement and in our courts. With
Brown v. Board, the "One person one vote" decisions of the
1960s, through the recent decisions dealing with sodomy laws
and gay marriage, the courts have been partners with the
egalitarian forces.

Many of these outcomes have been good for the country and
square with conservative principles. Brown v. Board was a great
decision upholding the 14th Amendment of our Constitution.
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, barring any discrimination, was
so morally compelling that few would argue against it. To a
conservative, it meant that achievement would be rewarded no
matter who you were. We've drifted a long way from that
concept.

While I may argue that the conservative idea of a federal system
is better for everybody, liberal and conservative, in that it allows
for diverse opinions to be arrived at through democratic means,
it is an illusion to think that liberals would ever agree.
Egalitarianism means everybody is equal, and that must be
instituted from a central source: the Federal Government.
 
I understand that this idea of egalitarianism isn't new, (Robert
Bork and many others have articulated it) but I have to admit it's
been only recently that it has sunk in with me. And I'm not sure
what good it will do me, except help me understand the liberal
mind. Less than 6 months ago at a dinner party, I was told that
the money Bill Gates had was disgusting. I'm thinking, why? If his
money is new money, that is, he hasn't taken any of your money,
and he creates jobs, and contributes to our technology, why do
you care? Now I know: It's the disparity, stupid.

Robert S. Sargent, Jr. is a senior writer for Enter Stage Right.
He can be reached at rssjr@citcom.net.

Enter Stage Right -- http://www.enterstageright.com