A Regressive, Backward-Looking Philosophy
If we look at the underlying philosophies
that undergird our two major political parties, we come upon the terms liberal
and conservative. The liberal view of society is often called progressive
because it is forward looking, with an aim to improve the human condition through
government and private action. Sometimes the progressive view overshoots its
target and aims for goals it cannot achieve. Sometimes it does achieve its
goals but at a steep price. And sometimes it falls far short of its aim, such
as with the civil rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s. It is, nevertheless,
a hopeful, optimistic view of human possibilities. And this philosophy is
responsible for a great many of the societal advances that we now take for
granted, such as Social Security, Medicare, public education, a robust middle
class, increasingly inexpensive renewable energy, and health coverage for
millions of previously uninsured Americans.
By contrast, conservatism is generally
a pessimistic, backward-looking philosophy that yearns for an illusory past
when things were better. The fact that such a time never existed does not
discourage true-believing conservatives from insisting that it did. If you look
at their response almost any societal advance, conservatives have had to be
dragged kicking and screaming into the future. And even then they are not
content. For instance, as I write, the Republican Party is getting ready to
once again hold the world financial system hostage unless the Democrats agree
to make substantial cuts to Medicare and Social Security (and, of course,
Medicaid), even though these cuts are extremely unpopular even with their own
base, millions of whom would be devastated to lose any portion of their retirement
and health benefits.
The GOP preaches small government,
tax cuts, and spending cuts, but only when a Democrat is in the White House.
When Trump was president, a GOP-controlled Congress passed a deficit-enhancing
$2 trillion tax cut for the wealthy and approved nearly $3 trillion in new
spending (before COVID), none of which was paid for by increased tax revenue.
But now that Biden is in office, they have again become deficit hawks and are
going after Social Security, Medicare, and programs that benefit the poor and
disabled. They apparently still haven’t gotten over the idea of a social safety
net for senior citizens and the poor, even though Social Security has been
around since 1935 and Medicare since 1965.
Maybe in 1930 the average American
didn’t need much retirement funding. The world was very different back then,
but we can’t go back to those halcyon days. And maybe in 1960, most seniors
could get cheap health care. But that ship sailed long ago. Still, conservatives
are bound and determined to take us back to at least the 1950s and maybe
beyond.
Much of this backward-looking delusion
is due to the Christian Right, but Latter-day Saints need to understand that
they have very little in common with Evangelicals, including the Jesus they
worship. It would be very difficult to depict either Jesus or Joseph Smith as
anything but liberal and progressive. Both tried to turn society upside down
and lead their followers into a more just, equitable future. But somewhere
along the line (probably about when the ultraconservative J. Reuben Clark
called right-wingers Ezra Taft Benson, Mark E. Petersen, and Delbert L. Stapley
as Apostles), the Latter-day Saints turned their backs on their own progressive
past and became conservatives, dedicated to stopping societal progress dead in
its tracks.
We became died-in-the-wool capitalists,
good corporate citizens, fully in favor of allowing as much wealth as possible
to flow to the top. Our theology also took a decidedly conservative turn. We now
downplay, if not outright disregard, some of Joseph’s more adventurous
doctrinal forays and portray ourselves as just ordinary Christians, whatever
that is.
So, if you want to ignore the pressing
issues of the day—poverty,
out-of-control health-care costs, public health crises, global warming, large
percentages of seniors retiring without sufficient retirement savings or
pensions, unchecked gun violence, and housing that is too expensive for most
Americans to afford—then
by all means vote Republican. They are more concerned about proving nonexistent
election fraud, banning books from schools, making it harder for minorities to
vote, passing tax cuts for the wealthy, slashing Social Security and Medicare, and
investigating Hunter Biden.
If you long for the 1950s, you
should vote Republican. But before you do, at least do some research to find
out what the 1950s were really like.
