Frank Miniter: Difference between Republicans and Democrats is freedom
Wealth and power redistribution doesn’t empower who the left says it does
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A very smart person from the Left, a once self-described progressive who has become uncomfortable with labels since the Left went completely bonkers in 2020, was telling me that at least Democrats have an understandable narrative. "Democrats are for redistribution of wealth and power to the underprivileged," he said, "whereas you conservatives are for what?"
"Freedom," I said. "And your wealth and power redistribution doesn’t empower who you say it does. Mostly it just empowers the government."
That stopped him and he is not an easy person to shut up. He has a Ph.D. and an eminent teaching position at an esteemed university. He is thus shielded from reality and is used to lecturing young, impressionable adults.
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"Huh? Look, I know you’re the author of ‘The Deep State Revolution,’ but I am hardly an administrative state bureaucrat."
"You support Anthony Fauci and he’s the current face of the unelected Deep State."
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"Well fine, but vaccines are important and –"
"No, let’s not sidetrack into vaccines. As you know, after careful thought, I took the vaccine and I am thankful that Trump’s Operation Warp Speed got it through the bureaucracy so fast. But we’re talking about freedom, not the possible benefits of a vaccine. So, did you vote to give Fauci’s CDC the power to make the COVID vaccine mandatory? No, you didn’t, as Fauci wasn’t elected," I said.
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"Given Fauci’s, ah, deceptive use of the facts about his involvement with the lab in Wuhan, I certainly don’t want to defend him," he said.
"Right, so let’s focus in on the freedom issue here," I said, "as in the freedom to choose what goes into our bodies. This is an individual decision that many of today’s Democrats want to take away."
He laughs. "You sound so conspiratorial. Come on. This is an exception; it’s all about public health."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"No," I said, "it is about a fundamental power shift. If the government can decide we must put something in our bodies, they then can decide all sorts of other things about the decisions we make. So you say Democrats have a clearer narrative – that they are for redistribution of wealth and power. I agree. They want to empower the administrative state over even our bodies, whereas the Right generally wants to empower individuals. Republicans, as in the party of Lincoln, are the freedom party."
The Right is for the freedom of religion, whereas the Left thinks faith is subordinate to the needs and power of the state.
He raised his eyebrows at this, so I filibustered with a few more examples:
The Right – and, importantly, an increasing numbers voters on the Left, if current gun-sales surveys are any indication – argues that we have the freedom to defend our own lives with modern tools (firearms), whereas the Left would like to take our guns.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Right argues that we have the capitalistic freedom to make a living as we see fit, as long as we don’t harm others and their rights, whereas the Left wants bureaucrats involved in every facet of the economy.
The Right is for the freedom to speak, whereas the current Left is all about Big Tech censorship, about shutting down conservative speech in our academic institutions and even about wiping out "both-siderism" in our media.
The Right is for the freedom of religion, whereas the Left thinks faith is subordinate to the needs and power of the state.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Right believes we should have the freedom to vote, and to vote out, our decision makers, whereas the Left is OK with the administrative state increasingly making decisions about our health care, how we can use our property and so much more.
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Now, with mask and vaccine mandates coming from the Left, Democrats have given Republicans something very tangible to point to as a concrete difference between the two opposing political philosophies: Do you want the freedom to decide or do you want the government to have control even of your body?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He was still frowning at this point, but he did admit, "Yeah, Democrats are in trouble in 2022."