Conservative Philosophy and the Year 2000 Presidential Race

By: Guanyao Cheng

This year, Americans will head to the polls and elect a new president for their country. For a great majority of people voting, there will be two major candidates from the two major parties to choose from. From the Democratic Party we have Vice President Al Gore, while the Republican Party will almost certainly nominate Texas Governor George W. Bush. By taking a look at Gov. Bush’s policies and how it both agrees and differs from orthodox Republican ideology, which is often eloquently stated by Ambassador Alan Keyes, we can understand what American conservatism has become today.

In the 1850’s, the Republican Party was founded by anti-slavery activists and individuals who wanted the government to grant settlers western lands free of charge. The first meeting of the Party was July 6, 1854 in Jackson, Michigan, and four years later Abraham Lincoln became the first Republican president (Nicholson). Over the years, Republicans have championed causes such as the abolition of slavery and women’s right to vote.

The Republican Party has generally been the advocate for American conservatism which advocates protecting individual property and economic rights (Magstadt, Schotten). One of the main points of conservatives has to do with economics and economic right (Magstadt, Schotten).

Looking at Gov. Bush’s plan, one of his major proposals is a 483 billion dollar tax relief package over 5 years (Bush). The plan is founded on the belief that the budget surplus that the government is reporting should be given back to American taxpayers rather than being kept in Washington and spent by legislators. Gov. Bush stated that “I do not accept the assumption that it is somehow ‘ risky’ to let taxpayers keep more of their own money. What is risky is when politicians are given charge of a surplus. There is a strong temptation to spend it. And, in Washington, that temptation is overwhelming. A government with unlimited funds soon becomes a government of unlimited reach. There are only two things

that can be done with a surplus. It can be used by government, as the president proposes. Or it can be used by Americans, to save and build and invest. As you can see from this tax plan, I have made my choice. I choose the creation of wealth, over the care and feeding of

government.” First, the plan plays to the increasing cynicism people have with the government. Further, this statement mirrors closely the philosophy of John Locke and his idea of the individual’s right to property. In this case, the property at stake is the taxpayer’s earnings and Bush agrees that the taxpayer has a right to their money if they paid an excess of it to the government.

Ambassador Keyes, meanwhile, favors abolishing the income tax (Keyes). Keyes instead calls it a “slave tax” and makes it a “moral imperative” for us to end it. Instead, the federal government should be funded by tariffs, duties, and sales taxes (Keyes). Keyes believes that under this system the people will control their own tax burden by controlling their consumption instead of leaving it up to politicians. Once again, this plays up to the cynicism people have with the government and politicians. Furthermore, by abolishing the income tax, people would no longer have to provide their income to the federal government, which leads to greater privacy for every taxpayer. Keyes believes that without the income tax, not-for-profit institutions would no longer be afraid to speak out against the government because they would no longer be afraid of losing their tax-exempt status (Keyes).

Along with a major tax cut, Bush’s economic plan includes free trade with other nations, especially proposing that both China and Taiwan be invited to join the WTO. This is in line with Baron de Montesquieu, who stated that trade amongst nations is beneficial because war would disrupt international trade (Magstadt, Schotten). In addition, Montesquieu argued also that trade would open up avenues for advancement, therefore enabling more political order. Bush agrees with this point and stated in his foreign policy speech, “The case for trade is not just monetary, but moral. Economic freedom creates habits of liberty. And habits of liberty create expectations of democracy (Bush).” Bush argues that by encouraging entrepreneurs to flourish in countries such as China, they will demand more and more freedoms and liberties, eventually using the momentum to topple the Communist system.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Keyes also agrees on free trade, but disagrees on the role of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Because of various laws the WTO imposes on its members, Keyes argues that the WTO would undermine American sovereignty because its members are not elected by American citizens. Keyes disagrees with this “trade socialism” and believes that free government should be put ahead of so called “free trade” (Keyes).

A third part of Republican beliefs which relates to individual rights is the right to bear arms. Alan Keyes argues that the right to bear arms was not simply added for our self-protection or simply hunting, but instead “the Founders added the 2nd Amendment so that when, after a long train of abuses, a government evinces a methodical design upon our natural rights, we will have the means to protect and recover our rights. That is why the right to keep and bear arms was included in the Bill of Rights (Keyes).” In fact, Keyes agrues it our duty to overthrow our government if we believe out rights are being systematically violated. Locke made the same argument in his Second Treatise on Government where he stated that revolution is necessary when a government becomes tyrannical (Magstadt, Schotten). Bush does not support new laws restricting gun ownership or the registration of guns. Instead, he supports the tighter enforcement of existing gun laws.

Besides individual rights, a big concern with American conservatism has been morality, with emphasis placed on abortion and faith based initiatives. One of the most controversial topics debated today is abortion, and the 1973 Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade which affirmed a woman’s right to have an abortion. Abortion has been a divisive issue not only for the nation but even the Republican Party. For some in the Republican party, no abortions at all should be allowed. Alan Keyes states that “If the Declaration of Independence states our creed, there can be no right to abortion, since it means denying the most fundamental right of all, to human offspring in the womb. The Declaration states plainly that we are all created equal, endowed by our Creator with our human rights.” Furthermore, “if human beings can decide who is human and who is not, the doctrine of God-given rights is utterly corrupted. Abortion is the unjust taking of a human life and a breach of the fundamental principles of our public moral creed. (Keyes)” However, more moderate Republicans such as Bush favor exceptions in case of rape, incest, or saving the life of the mother. However, both Bush and Keyes agree that using taxpayer funds for abortion and partial birth abortions should both be abolished.

A core belief of American conservatives is the equality of individuals and individual right. One thing that conservatives oppose in order for full equality is affirmative action. First, it is argued that injustice cannot be corrected with another injustice. Two wrongs do not make a right. Second, conservatives believe that affirmative action patronizes minorities that it is supposed to help because it presupposes that they cannot succeed on their own. Finally, affirmative action divides the country between people who are helped by affirmative action and people who feel they were unfairly hurt by it. Bush agrees and opposes racial preferences and quotas. He also has created what he calls “affirmative access” under the 10 percent plan in Texas where high school seniors graduating in the top 10 percent of their class are automatically admitted to any state university (Bush).

With traditional conservative values in mind, in recent months Bush has been moving towards the political center with a series of initiatives that will expand the federal role in a variety of programs. For example, Bush recently proposed around 3.7 billion dollars for various housing assistance over 5 years, including 1.7 billion dollars to help low-income families purchase their own homes, 1 billion dollars to encourage creating savings accounts, and 1 billion dollars to help with the down payment (Balz). In addition, Bush has proposed spending 4.3 billion dollars over 5 years to provide improved health care to rural and urban areas. 3.6 billion dollars of that plan would be used to increase by 1200 the number of community health care centers (Neal).

Looking at Bush’s proposals, many pundits say that his proposals are like ones that a moderate Democrat could make. However, most Republicans, even the more conservative ones, are virtually giving Bush a free pass. The main reason is that Republicans are hungry to win back the White House, even if that meant compromise on a variety of basic Republican issues (Berke). In fact, even if Bush picks a pro-choice running mate, such as popular Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge, some conservatives would still back him, although he would risk losing a large part of the pro-life constituency.

One of the main reasons for Bush to appear more moderate is to appeal to women voters. A recent Gallup poll found that Bush has been gaining one point a week among women voters (Thurman). The first reason why Bush has been more successful in courting women than previous Republican candidates is his personal charm. Brian Edwards, who works at a communications and research firm, says “A lot of folks talk about George W. being a very personal, amiable person. On the stump, he really connects in a one-on-one way. I think that appeals a lot to women voters. They feel they know the person (Thurman).” In fact, during his 1998 election as Governor, he received 67 percent of the female vote. Second, Bush has labeled himself as a “Compassionate Conservative” in contrast with the Republican revolution in 1994 and their “Contract with America” led by Newt Gingrich, whom many felt was cold-hearted and out of touch with the general population. Third, Bush has stressed education as one of the main topics of focus for his campaign, and he repeatedly points to his success with education reform in Texas. The Governor often emphasizes that “no child should be left behind.” For example, the number of students who passed the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TASS) test increased from 53 percent in 1995 to 78 percent in 1999 (Bush). He has also pushed for every child to read at their level by the fourth grade and to hold schools accountable when they do not meet strict standards (Bush). These issues above are not generally on the conservative agenda, but Bush knows that without a majority of women voters supporting him, he cannot hope to win in November, and these family-friendly issues he proposes are essential in attracting women voters.

Looking as a whole at Gov. Bush’s plans and policies, one can see many cornerstones of American conservatism such as the championing of individual liberties, the right of people to property, reducing the amount of government involvement, and restoration of morality. However, in order to be more moderate and reach out to minority groups, Bush has also proposed more government spending for a variety of projects. From current polling, the presidential race is very close with Bush having a very slight edge, and it will be interesting to see how the campaign plays out. Certainly this is the Republican’s best chance at capturing the White House in some time.


Works Cited

Berke, Richard L. “Grand Old Pragmatists: Conservatives, Wanting Victory, Are Quiet on Bush Shift.” New York Times. 2000

http://www.nytimes.com/library/politics/camp/042200wh-gop-bush.html

(1 May 2000)

Thurman, James N. “Ladies' man: Bush gaining among women.” Christian Science Monitor. 2000

http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/2000/05/01/f-p2s1.shtml

(1 May 2000)

Balz, Dan. “Bush Proposes $1.7B Housing Program.” Washington Post. 2000

http://www.washingtonpost.com/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+FTContentServer?GXHC_gx_session_id_FutureTenseContentServer=eae1991e0aba3a89&pagename=article&articleid=A36692-2000Apr18&node=politics/elections/2000/whitehouse/bushgeorgew/archive

(29 April 2000)

Neal, Terry M. “Bush Proposes Spending Billions for Health Care.” Washington Post. 2000

http://www.washingtonpost.com/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+FTContentServer?GXHC_gx_session_id_FutureTenseContentServer=eae1991e0aba3a89&pagename=article&articleid=A63737-2000Apr12&node=politics/elections/2000/whitehouse/bushgeorgew/archive

(30 April 2000)

Staff of AlanKeyes.com “Keyes 2000.”

http://www.alankeyes.com

(29 April 2000)

Staff of GeorgeWBush.com “George W. Bush for President.”

http://www.georgewbush.com

(28 April 2000)