Caring Conservative

Republicans have a major messaging problem.

As Arthur Brooks, a well-known conservative thinker and author puts it, conservatives seem to embody “heartless pragmatism.” They appear to promote greedy policies that have little regard for the societal issues that have torn apart this country. For many people things like race, welfare programs, and police shootings often appear more to be nuisances to republicans than they do valuable discussions.

I’m a conservative and these issues are incredibly important to me. Sadly, I feel estranged by a party whose leader demeans women and minorities - and everyone else for that matter (Spoiler alert: I didn’t vote for Donald Trump. Sorry, Mike Pence.)

I also hate being called the party of “no.” I laud forward-thinking conservatives like Paul Ryan who take a preemptive approach through initiatives like “A Better Way.”

So, considering the above, why do I still consider myself a conservative?

Conservative Principles

I truly believe that most conservative ideals make America better. Free enterprise, and valuing work are critical to our success as a country.

Brooks gives an example in his book The Conservative Heart. He shares that the percentage of people who live on a dollar a day or less has fallen by 80 percent since 1970 (adjusted for inflation). This was done mostly in two-thirds world countries through innovations in five things: globalization, free trade, property rights, the rule of law and entrepreneurship. This occurred, in measurable result, because of America’s global diplomatic and military presence in many countries following World War II. Beliefs on America’s role in other nations aside, the fact that so many souls were lifted out poverty through conservative ideals is an amazing thing.

To borrow from Brooks again, “…capitalism has saved a couple billion of people and we [conservatives] treated this miracle like a secret.”

I believe that empowering individuals to create wealth, treating work with dignity, loving people and letting them live their lives – seeking peace and enlightenment how they may – lifts people out of poverty and solves societal issues better than any welfare program.

Despite this, we only mostly here conservatives talk about heartless numbers. They say “no” to suggested programs. Many don’t share the stories of how actual lives are affected positively by conservative policy. This breaks my heart.

You’re What’s Wrong with America

This doesn’t mean I think conservatives have all the answers.

I hate it when I hear a republican say that (insert democrat here) is a terrible, evil person. I hate it when I hear a person talk about another person who has opposing ideological views as if they don’t care about humanity, the environment, or puppies.

Many people with views in opposition to mine are my friends. They’re not terrible or evil. I love them and they enrich my life and provide differing thoughts to mine. Difference of opinion (and the ability to express it) is vital to the success of this country.

Dismissing people without thought is bad. Telling people they’re wrong and insinuating moral authority is worse. To be succinct, what’s wrong with America is that we have too many people telling others that they’re “what is wrong with America.”

Hopes for the Future

I earnestly look forward to a leader that can unite the country. Someone who instills hope like Franklin Roosevelt and promotes caring conservatism like Ronald Reagan. Someone who cares about the words they say, empowers vulnerable populations, and inspires entrepreneurship.

More importantly, I hope that friends and family will look for common ground on important issues, talk about policies that matter, and respect each other.

Let’s acknowledge that just as our ideas might be right, others may have good ideas too. Let’s look past angry rhetoric, and focus on building, not tearing down.