Re-characterizing an unfair portrayal

Oftentimes I feel as though the views of the Republican Party are not properly characterized in Duke campus discourse. Today I’d like to briefly summarize four oft-ignored perspectives on the Republican economic agenda, which isn’t as scary as it is usually portrayed in Duke campus debate.

First and foremost, the Republican Party is not a party that only cares about rich people. Republicans want everyone to have a good-paying job that provides for his or her family. Many Republicans come from humble beginnings and humble backgrounds. Many were immigrants who came to this country with nothing but a dream. They know what it is to face hard times, and are not callous to the difficult circumstances in which many impoverished people find themselves.

In short, Republicans do not differ with Democrats at all in terms of empathy. Rather, they differ in their beliefs regarding the means by which to help the poorest among us. I think it’s safe to say Republicans have more faith in the power of free markets than the Democratic Party. Republicans would argue that free markets, unencumbered by unnecessary government regulation, allow for the greatest growth in prosperity for all.

That being said, you’ll notice I used the word “unnecessary” in front of “government regulation” in the previous sentence. This brings me to my second point: Republicans believe that there are necessary roles for the government in the economy. They realize that what economists describe as “market failures” exist. Though they might have more faith in the power of free markets than Democrats, that doesn’t mean Republicans see free markets as perfect.

Because of this, Republicans don’t believe that a “rags to riches” expectation applies to everyone. They love to celebrate “rags to riches” stories, as they believe these stories typify the very best of what capitalism has to offer. But for some people, no matter how hard they might work, a “rags to riches” story just isn’t in the cards. Republicans embrace diversity in talent that leads to diversity in wealth accumulation, but they also recognize that there is diversity in circumstance that on far too many occasions cuts off talent at its source. Republicans therefore believe a role for government exists in supporting those who face unfortunate circumstances. If they support fewer government programs than Democrats, it’s simply because they see less market failure than Democrats do. But saying Republicans on the whole want everyone to fend for themselves in life is not true.

Third, Republicans recognize that there is growing inequality in U.S. society, and this bothers them. But where they differ with Democrats is that they do not fall head over heels for equality for its own sake, nor do they think government is very good at bringing about the equality Democrats seek. While gross levels of income inequality bother Republicans, what concerns them much more is alleviating inequalities in opportunity and therefore enhancing economic mobility. With this in mind, Republicans wholeheartedly support education reform—seeing education as one of the best ways to enhance opportunity for all individuals in American society, decrease inequality and grow the economic pie for all.

Finally, Republicans are more concerned about the budget deficit and debt than most Democrats. This is because they see such spending as indebting future generations who will eventually have to pay back this spending (read: us). This is why you continue to hear Republicans bring up entitlement reform. (“Reform” being the key word there. Despite what Democratic attack ads say, Republicans don’t want to end entitlements entirely.) For example, after adjusting for inflation, a typical couple at retirement age will receive $387,000 in Medicare benefits compared to $122,000 they paid into the system. This is unsustainable. Republicans disagree among themselves on whether taxes should be raised to help solve the problem. But unlike many Democrats, almost all Republicans wholeheartedly agree that increased taxes are not the only answer to the problem. The group Third Way recently showed that even if we enacted every semi-plausible tax increase on the rich, the national debt would still double over the next three decades. In short, if Republicans appear to be obsessed with entitlement reform, that’s only because it is a tremendous problem worth being concerned about.

In closing, these are four points the Republican Party failed to communicate in 2012, but which will hopefully predominate Republican rhetoric in 2014 and 2016. It is also my hope they might work their way into campus debate that far too often unfairly typifies Republicans as being unsympathetic, uncaring or out of touch with reality. On the contrary, Republicans en masse are none of these things.