More Political Thoughts

Now that there is no single leader of the Republican Party, and a clearly socialistic leader of the Democratic Party (and of the United States), I see evidence (on C-span, anyway) that the thinkers on the Right and the better Republicans (mainly in the House) are finally feeling free, with the inconsistent, concessionary McCain out of the way, to fight hard against the socialist/pacifist Democrats and the big-spending, bailout-supporting, me-too Republicans. They are energized. I think real intellectual debate could finally break out of the meaningless generalities and rally-the-crowd sound-bites we’ve witnessed during the campaign season.

Of course, the good news about Obama is that he will probably save stem-cell research and keep America pro-choice, will keep the borders open to all (hopefully excepting known terrorists) who wish to come, “wretched refuse” or not, and won’t appoint religious conservatives to the Supreme Court. But the bad news is everything else he may support, from restrictions on oil-drilling, to endless government spending, to paying off rather than destroying foreign enemies, to endless regulations on business and industry, to socialized medicine.

There is little hope of the Democratic Party becoming pro-laissez faire, so the better choice is to encourage the GOP to reinvent itself as such, and to reduce the influence of the religionists in the Republican party, now that the party has sunk to the bottom. Unfortunately, too many on the right still are religious pro-life types, whereas the reduction of the religious-right influence is not only more rational, but it is an important way to win back those who have deserted the GOP. My guess is that we won’t turn the nation or the party into atheists any time soon, but we can reduce the influence of the religionists in the GOP by emphasizing the principles of liberty, individual effort, private property, and self-defense.

Moving forward, I think it’s important to remember to pursue happiness. Defend your rights and property as needed, and then enjoy the unlimited opportunities still present in the United States for intellectual growth, productivity, learning, adventure, self-expression, building relationships, pursuing goals, and experiencing the arts and things of beauty.