For this discussion, we are going to follow the lines of the current partisan divide and distinguish between Americans on “the Left” and those on “the Right”. There are two sets of qualities that we see as differentiating people politically: hope versus fear, and concern for the common good versus self-interest.
Regarding the second distinction, those on the Right who emphasize self-interest are more closely aligned with human nature—with the way God created us. When it comes to economic systems, capitalism, which is rooted in self-interest, has consistently proven more successful than socialism, which seeks to ensure that everyone is adequately provided for. At the same time, history has also shown that relying exclusively on capitalism leaves too many people impoverished and suffering. As a result, America has settled on a system that combines elements of both capitalism and socialism.
So, one of the major political divisions in America is that those on the Right lean more toward capitalism, emphasizing individual initiative and personal responsibility, while those on the Left lean somewhat more toward socialism, placing greater emphasis on the common good. To be clear, both sides embrace a mixture of capitalism and socialism; they simply differ in where they place the emphasis. For example, few people on the Right would want to eliminate Social Security and few people on the Left would want the government to determine how much money individuals are allowed to earn.
Another difference between the two groups is that those on the Right tend to be more motivated by fear (per Bob Woodward: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear:_Trump_in_the_White_House ), while those on the Left are more inspired by hope. This is not intended as a criticism of the Right. Fear of losing what one has is a valid concern and is a powerful political motivator; and one that politicians have long employed to attract followers. Conversely, the hope that society can become more just and more equal resonates more strongly with the Left. As Martin Luther King Jr. famously said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” That vision of progress tends to inspire those on the Left more than those on the Right.
The core American creed, expressed in a single sentence of the Declaration of Independence, appeals to people across the political spectrum:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Suppose that sentence had instead read, “We hold these truths to be self-evident that men are endowed…” Such wording would have reflected the understanding of many of the Founding Fathers that “men” referred primarily to white male property owners. It would not have included people of different races, women, or those without property.
Instead, the Declaration begins with the revolutionary assertion that “all men are created equal.” Although the nation has often failed to live up to that ideal, those words established an aspiration that every person should be taken into consideration and treated with equal dignity. That aspiration lies at the heart of the American experiment.
In America, we value liberty and the freedom to pursue happiness, principles that resonate strongly with those on the Right. At the same time, we aspire to build a society in which everyone receives a fair opportunity and is treated with dignity and concern. Those ideals resonate strongly with those on the Left. Together, these principles form the creative tension that has shaped America from its beginning.
To continue to be a truly great country, we need the energy, creativity and compassion of both the Right and the Left contending and finding common ground. Things go awry when either side significantly dominates in our society. Currently the Right is significantly dominating. Pendulums swing. When it begins to move in the direction of the Left, those on the Right need not fret for this will benefit our nation as a whole.
In the next post, we will begin to explore what it means to be an American in a practical sense.
Publius 21C