Changing the political game

In theory, government is a means to an end for conservatives.

The necessary evil of government is preferable to the greater evil of complete anarchy.
Christian conservatives look back to the Edenic paradise where individuals exercised perfect self control without being ruled by external forces.

The conservative case is very compelling. It takes little argument to establish that human beings are far from perfect.

Given the catalogue of evils that makes up most of history, it is reasonable to argue that, left to themselves, humans are imperfectible.

Christianity takes such a dim view of human nature, in fact, that only supernatural intervention can correct the wrongs in the world.

For conservatives, government is a practical necessity, a concession to the frailty and imperfection of humanity. Not all Republicans, however, adhere strictly to this view. In some cases, Republicans abandon the pessimism central to their cause, usually for some goal, with good intention.

Ironically, it is often Christian social conservatives who give in to the bureaucratic impulse.

This accounts for the giant programs, missionary wars and bloated budgets that came out of the ostensibly conservative George W. Bush administration. And why Rick Santorum voted for many of these expansions of federal bureaucracy and power.

Santorum, like Bush, was so convinced of the justness of his cause that he accepted the fundamentally anti-conservative view that government is a source of positive good.   
This line of reasoning also explains why Rick Santorum is so reviled by the left. It is not just that liberals disagree with his stated policies — that is true of Romney, as well.

Santorum presents a particular challenge to the left because his political philosophy is a mirror image of progressive political philosophy.

Santorum is not just personally opposed to gay marriage, premarital sex and pornography: He actually wants the government to do something to prevent these things.

Traditionally, government action has been the chosen tool of the left. In the standard political game, a Democrat proposes some government action, and a Republican then opposes that action.

Almost everyone in politics is comfortable with this game, and most politicians have also found ways to profit from their positions no matter what side they play on.

If Romney wins the presidency, his mandate might include stopping the expansion of the welfare state, removing federally funded universal healthcare and preventing higher taxes.

If Santorum had a presidential mandate, he would not just “stand athwart history, yelling Stop” as a good conservative.

As a right-wing progressive, he would actually use the government to move the United States away from the policies of President Barack Obama.

­— jzsoldos@indiana.edu