Posted by
Andrews on Wednesday, September 30, 2009 2:33:20 PM
Recently I have been writing a number of posts which were rather hard for me to write. Not because they were untrue, or even because the issues were unimportant, but because they were likely to start uncomfortable disputes with some of my readers. I am speaking, of course, of my several posts about the "birther" controversy("
Maybe Obama Was Born in Gulf Breeze, Florida"). Fortunately, I know my readers to be honest, respectful people (for the most part), and I knew that they would accept that I was simply presenting my arguments, and that I would listen to their position and respond with respect. However, even knowing all that, and knowing it was a crucial issue that needed to be addressed ( "
Think of the Impresison You Make", "
Our Donatists", "
Picking Your Fight"), I still felt uncomfortable writing what I did, and I seriously considered dropping the topic several times.
Now, imagine how much harder it is for those in politics. If I am having trouble speaking the truth n a mere blog, imagine a politician, convinced that small government of limited powers, and the difficulty he faces every time a crisis occurs and the people begin demanding the government "do something". ("
Doing Something" , "
"Doing Something" Revisited") The public, having come to believe the government is the solution to all problems is consistently unwilling to listen to politicians who say that it is not government's job to resolve certain problems. ( "
What We Deserve", "
Special Cases".) And so it must be almost impossible for a principled politician to stand his ground and refuse to enact policies which he thinks are not the purpose of the state. Worse, if he does resist, and stands his ground, he probably faces certain defeat come reelection time.
Which brings me to my point.
Whether politicians, bloggers or simply arguing for our beliefs, we must resist the urge to take the easy route and appease the public. No matter how uncomfortable it is to argue for people's rights to do stupid things, we must do just that. When the authoritarians want to increase their power, they don't attack the likable, they don't ask to regulate grandmothers, veterans and kittens, they go after smokers, drugs addicts, pornographers and the political fringe. However, uncomfortable as it is, we must stand up for the worst among us. We don't need to stand up for them, we don't need to say they are worthy of praise, but we do need to explain that they have the right to do what they do.
Even more difficult, when a "crisis" arises, and the left begins to advocate for a "fix", be it the "gasoline crisis" of last year or the "health care crisis" of today, we need to resist the call to "present our own solution" and instead make it clear that the state is not here to fix everything. Just as it is not the role fo an auto mechanic to cure cancer or a doctor to get your DVD player to work, it is not the purpose of government to be a panacea. It will be uncomfortable to say so, as the public has been trained to see the politicians as the cure for all ills, but that is only because no one has argued against the idea. Once someone does, and makes their case,t eh public may begin to catch on, to see that there is a tool for every job, and that government is not the Swiss Army knife of life, curing every imaginable problem.
And if we continue to do that, if we can finally convince the public to accept that maybe government is a problem as often as it is the solution, maybe the pressure on politicians will change. maybe they will find themselves being confronted by people saying "keep out of our business" as often as "save me from myself", and, if that happens, sooner or later those politicians won't find it quite so hard to stand up for their small government principles, and maybe even make it through reelection challenges with their beliefs intact.