The Washington Outsider

Political Division and Dysfunction: The Illiberalization of the Right and Left Toward Libertarianism and Libertinism

2/26/2018

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​Bad government, e.g. unresponsive, special-interest governance, in the United States, as well as elsewhere, is fueled by political division and dysfunction.  Not only do the political parties and ideological extremes of the American political system pressure elected officials to cater to their interests with untenable public policies, they impede the representation of the majority in middle.  Those on the far Right and the far Left have the right to have their views and interests represented in government and addressed by government, but their representatives do not have a right to deny others representation by hijacking the political process and the legislative process. 
​In theory, the majority of any democratic society should select a majority of government representatives, thus the views of those on the extremes of all issues should always be moderated with those of moderates.  This is not the case inside the United States.  When the US government is not paralyzed by a growing number of stalemates, it either acts on the increasingly “conservative” agenda of Republicans or acts on the increasingly “liberal” agenda of Democrats.  To be honest, even when the US government has been able to forge compromise, that compromise has often come in the form of a “solution” that tries to cram incompatible ideas from both extremes into one dysfunctional package.  To use language generally reserved for foreign policy discussions, the US is becoming more and more of an illiberal, ill-democratic society.
 
The United States was founded as a liberal democracy.  Obviously, a democracy is a society with a form of government that is directly, or indirectly via representation, controlled by the People.  Because most people encounter the word liberal in the context of liberal versus conservative politics, the term can be misleading.  Despite the fact that both Democrats and Republicans embrace stances that align with the aspirations of a liberal society, the concept of a liberal society can easily be confounded with the relative concept of politically liberal, which describes one extreme of the political spectrum.  A liberal society places a higher priority on the rights and freedoms of individuals than the cultural rights of communities and the power of government to act against individuals.  
 
Consequently, an ill-democratic society is a society ruled by a government that does not truly represent or respond to the needs of the People.  An illiberal society is a society that fails to honor and protect the rights of all individuals.  Given the manner in which candidates are chosen by political elites for US elections and the low participation rates in US elections, it is fairly easy to see the ill-democratic tendencies of the United States.  The illiberal tendencies, in contrast, can be less apparent.  For those on the Left, it easy to dismiss conservatives, who embrace more traditional views that often favor established social conventions and institutions over civil liberties, as more than just illiberal.  For those on the Right, the liberal reliance on government to enforce the civil rights of minorities and support government spending with taxes makes the Left illiberal.
 
The truth, however, is that both the Right and the Left are becoming increasingly illiberal in diametrically opposing ways.  The illiberalism of Republicans and Democrats can be summarized with the terms “libertarian” and “libertine.”  Once a fringe political movement, the Republican Party has increasingly gravitated toward a libertarian agenda.  Promoting a minimalist government, libertarian values promote a liberal society that is free of government constraint and oppression.  Libertarians are highly motivated by economic factors, but the implications of their views on government extend far beyond economic issues.  An ideal libertarian society is slightly more organized than an anarchy.  In an anarchy, “government” is not strong enough to protect the lives and freedoms of individuals.  The strong have boundless freedom, but the weak become slaves to the whims of the strong.
 
In other words, power is transferred from powerful governments to powerful individuals, but there is truly no freedom in anarchy or near-anarchies.  Government punishes wrongdoing to ensure citizens enjoy the freedom of a secure society.  This is an essential role of government.  In fact, it is the primary reason people tolerate and accept governmental authority.  Unfortunately, it is when government stops providing protection from the threat of criminal elements and becomes the threat that people fear government.  Proper governance is always about achieving balance between anarchy and tyranny.  No government will ever reach a perfect balance all the time while no government will sustain the necessary balance forever.  Civil liberties and responsiveness allows government to step back from oppressive action.
 
With that in mind, the “Left” suffers from a difficult symptom of illiberalism.  Where the Right caters to its special interest groups, refusing to change with shifting cultural views, the Left caters to social minorities.  This is not necessarily a negative, but the Left shows little respect for established social conventions and institutions.  Social liberals, for example, abuse the legal system, as well as terms like “acceptance,” “tolerance,” and “judgement free,” to force society to assimilate minority factions, views, and lifestyles.  They have no respect for the cultural rights, including religious rights, and identities of groups that disagree with their views.  They thoughtless tear down any and all social boundaries, which include moral boundaries.  The “libertine” term has fallen out of favor in the US, so the political Left is offended by the use of it, but it increasingly applies to American liberalism.  
 
In truth, most American liberals do have their own ethics and morals.  They tend to areligious versus amoral.  The groups represented by the political Left want to replace existing social conventions and institutions with their own.  By embracing and representing the interests of minorities, the Left is promoting a liberal society.  The problem with the Left is that it has no respect for the cultural rights of more traditional, more conservative factions, which tends to be the majority.  By focusing solely on individual identities, rights, and freedoms, liberals ignore the need to protect and respect the cultural identities of people.  They also encourage people to act solely on their own whims and interests, thus they encourage people to neglect community interests.  This means the weak lose the protections and benefits afforded to them by social conventions and community.  This includes “peer pressure,” which helps keep the strong in check.   
 
On the surface, the libertine direction of the Left appears to foster the establishment of a liberal society.  By loosening what is socially acceptable and unacceptable, however, they change the social environment in which people make decisions.  Because people adapt to their environment, their decisions are impacted by their new environment.  A libertine society is a society where the egocentric and short-sighted tendencies of people, which generally undermine social cohesion, are cultivated.  The libertine term tends to have a sexual connotation due to the lack of moral boundaries and impulsiveness the lifestyle promotes.  As the Hollywood Sex Revelations demonstrate, libertine attitudes empower the strong to legally victimize the weak.  Moreover, it is the libertarian and libertine direction of conservatives and liberals that is fueling government dysfunction and undermining balanced, responsive government.
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      • Should One's Faith Influence a Citizen's Vote?
      • Should the U.S. Government Help Fund Election Campaigns?
      • On Defunding Political Science Research
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      • Justice for All: The Case for Legal, Social, Economic, and Personal Justice
      • Why Hardliner Thinking in the NSA and CIA is Doing Damage
      • On the Baby Boomer’s Self-Centeredness
      • The Case for Personal Responsibility
      • What Modern Day Revolutionaries Need to Learn from Leader's like Mandela
      • Rising Western Acceptance of LGBT Primes Culture Clash
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      • Perceptions of the United States
      • How Honesty Relates to the Great Recession
      • Why the Middle Class and Rich Need to Support Their Long-term Interests
      • The Aristocratic Republic of the United States of America
      • Discussing the Need for Community Support
      • Why New Forms of Capitalism and Socialism Will Compliment Each Other
      • The Reason We Need to Understand What it is to Be Poor in America
      • Why the World Needs to Reinvest in America
      • Why Are We Against Terrorism?
      • Why Does Terrorism Exist?
      • US Influence: The Value of American Citizenship Around the World
      • Responding to "the Soldier as Sacrficial Victim"
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      • How comfort defines us as people >
        • Is Suicide a Cowardly Way Out?
      • Defense Against the Dark Arts of Manipulators
      • Defining Abuse >
        • On the Willing Victim of Abuse
        • How to Understand Abuse Victims
        • Recognizing Abuse
      • The Role of Substitution in Decision Making
      • Trying to Understand PTSD and Other Trauma-induced Mental Health Issues
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        • Mental Illness is Not the Cause of Anger and Violence >
          • Trying to Understand the Boston Marathon Bombing and Other Violent Crimes
          • Getting into the Twisted Mind of the Tucson Murder
      • Describing the Mind as Modes of Thought >
        • It’s Just Sex?
      • Relationships, or Arrangement
      • Understanding the Effects of Groupthink in the Workplace
      • Relating Circular, Inductive, and Deductive Reasoning to the Scientific Method and Religion
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      • The Need for Greater Economic Leverage >
        • Evaluating NAFTA and TPP
        • Undercutting Logistics with the Underpaid Independent Contractor
        • Unions: Hindrance or Essential to Free Markets
        • Eminent Domain Used Against Banks
        • Haitians Sue the UN for Failure to Help With Cholera
        • Looking at How Corn-based Ethanol and Other Alternative Energy Subsidies Stack Up
      • Empowering the Sovereign Nation-State by Rethinking Trade Policy >
        • Irish Sovereignty Lost Before Bailout
        • Why Sudan's Greatest Long-Term Hurdle is Our Lowest-bidder Economy
        • Reduce US Imports by Buying American Made Products
      • Ending the need for government support and tackling poverty
      • Income inequality: understanding the limitations and psychology of disadvantage
      • Looking at the Future of American Jobs >
        • On Questioning the Need to Address Economic Disparity
        • Minimum Wage is Not the Problem
        • Responding to the "Blip"
        • Why Education Is Not The Civil Rights Issue Of The Twenty-First Century
      • Considering the Impact of the Capital Gains Tax Deduction
      • Embracing a Capitalist Mindset >
        • Capitalism Versus Socialism
        • The Negatives of Socialism
      • Stealing Intellectual Property
      • Changing Business Models: From Enduring Entities to Cash Cows
      • Consumer and Investor Evolution in the Great Recession of 2008-09
      • Dealing with the Issues Surrounding the Patenting of Self-replicating Technologies
      • Is Technology Threatening Jobs?
    • Education >
      • The Role of Education in Creating a More Dynamic Workforce
      • Primary Education in America and the Changing Needs of Society
      • The Greatness of the American Education System
      • Ideas for Improving the United States Education System
      • Are Teachers Treated as Professionals?
      • Is Engaging Parents in Their Children's Education a Major Factor in Turning Around Low-performing Schools?
      • Should Grants Be Awarded to School Districts that Try Innovative Methods to Improve Student Achievement?
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      • On Reading the US Constitution
      • The Senate should not do more to limit the powers of the Judicial Branch
      • On the DOJ Justifying the “targeted Killings” of US Citizens
      • Corporations Do Not Have the Same Rights as US Citizens >
        • Corporate America Pleads the First
      • Discussing the Constitutionality of Per Capita Taxes
      • Was the California Supreme Court Right in Legalizing Gay Marriage?
      • Should the Bible Continue to Be Used for Swearing-in Ceremonies and in Courtrooms?
      • Should Religious Student Clubs Be Allowed in Public Schools?
      • Should the Government Control Talk Radio to Make it More "balanced"?
      • The Second Amendment: Not Outdated >
        • Are We Losing Our Second Amendment Rights
      • Eminent Domain Used Against Banks
      • Should a Woman Have the Right to Choose Abortion? >
        • Should Fathers Be Able to Opt Out of Parenthood?
      • Should Smoking Be Allowed in Public Places?
      • Is Teen Driving a Right or a Privilege?
      • Should US Companies Be Required to Provide Equal Pay to Women and Men?
      • Is eighteen too young to vote?
      • First Amendment Rights: The Priviledge of The Press
      • Do Mandatory Seat Belt Laws Violate Individual Rights?
      • Should cell phone use be banned while driving?
      • Dealing with the link between video game violence and children's behavior
      • Should police have to submit to routine drug and alcohol testing?
      • Public schools should not impose mandatory drug testing on students
      • Are High Taxes on Cigarettes Proper?
      • Should pharmacists be required to violate their religious beliefs and dispense the "Morning After Pill?"
      • Should school counselors uphold patient privacy or report students who become unstable?
  • For the record
    • Ongoing Issues >
      • Red Dawn in Ukraine: Understanding the Actions of Russia >
        • On Russia’s Coercion of Ukraine
        • The Russian Annexation of Crimea in the Eyes of the World
        • Putin Has Overplayed His Hand With Crimea
        • Ukraine in Terms of Resovereignization
        • Avoiding a Conflict Between America and Russia Over Ukraine
        • What Drives the World’s Interest in Russia’s Actions in Ukraine
      • China’s Aggressive Pursuit of Interests Demands a Global Response
      • Iran Makes a Deal: A Start to a Long-term Diplomatic Effort to Denuclearize Iran >
        • On the Future of a Nuclear Negotiations with Iran
      • America's Sphere of Influence: Retaking South-East Asia >
        • Power in Asia: Looking at the Power Shift in Japan
        • The China Paradox: Why America is Worried About China
      • Assessing US Support of Israel >
        • Tread Softly Israel for a Heavy Step May Be Your Undoing
      • Understanding the Dysfunctional Nature of the US-Pakistani Relationship
      • Recognizing the True Threat Behind the Current Unrest in the Middle East >
        • Reacting to the Escalating Crackdown in Syria
      • Assessing the Threat of North Korea >
        • Answering North Korea's Call for Food Aid: Breaking the Vicious Cycle Forced Upon Us by a Warring Nation
        • Dealing with the Restarting of the Korean War
        • North Korea Attacks South Korea
      • Dealing with the Ill-effects of Climate Change
      • Racial Inequality and Oppression Do Truly Exist in Today's Society
      • Should energy independence be a high priority in the US?
      • An overview of world wide Human Rights violations
      • Nuclear Threat from Pakistan
      • Return of The Cold War?
    • World >
      • Coverage of FIFA World Cup is a Chance to Focus on Poverty >
        • The FIFA World Cup Offers Benefits for More Than Brazilian Soccer Fans
        • FIFA Can Bring Brazilians Together as a Nation
      • Being Prepared for Any Potential Dangers at the FIFA World Cup Games
      • Treading Softly on the Politicizing of the 2014 Sochi Olympics Over Gay Rights
      • Why NATO Operations in Libya Lack a Well-defined Mission
      • China Hijacks the Web
      • Lessons from the Great Japanese Earthquake of 2011
      • A Modernizing Cuba Offers an Opportunity for Capitalists
      • The Seeds of Democracy Take Root in the Middle East
      • The Rebirth of Democracy in Tunisia
      • What May Come from the Hurt Revolution in Libya
      • Responding to the Violence of Qaddafi and Other Besieged Leaders
      • Embracing the Rise of a Democratic Egypt
      • Protests in Afghanistan Turn Deadly for Coalition Forces and UN Personnel
      • Haiti: Another Failing Humanitarian Investment
      • What Karzai Can Learn from Calderon
      • START II: A Necessary, Easy Success that Nearly Failed
      • Why Does the U.S. Government Support Independence for the Breakaway Serb Territory of Kosovo but Oppose Independence for the Breakaway Georgian Territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia?
      • Iraq's Electric Issues: When Human Wants Trump Economic Sense
      • The International Community Reacts to Wikileaks: We May Be Moving Toward a Third World War in Cyberspace
      • On Climate Gate
      • Assessing Obama's Afghanistan War strategy
      • 2009 Iranian Presidential Election: The Fallout
      • Resolving Sri Lankan Conflict through Free Media
      • What are the Global Consequences of Russia's Invasion of Georgia
      • The War in Iraq: an assessment of President Bush's surge strategy
      • Drug War: Actions of Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador in terms of Resovereignization
      • Is the Iraq Refugee Crisis America's Responsibility?
      • US support for a united Kosovo, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia: why?
      • Should the US withdraw from Iraq?
      • Setting a Timetable for Troop Withdrawal from Iraq is a Terrible Mistake
      • War on Terrorism is needed
    • Law and Order >
      • Rape in the US Military
      • Ethics of Force-feeding Guantanamo Bay Detainees
      • Reacting to the Aftermath of the Tucson Massacre
    • Economy >
      • Affordability Drives Fear of Obamacare and the Individual Mandate
      • Is the Economy Built for a Job's Recovery?
      • Gutting Healthcare Reform of the Individual Mandate
      • Arizona Budget Cuts Lead to Lethal Healthcare Rationing:
      • Shameful Collection Practices of American Banks
      • The Fed Reveals it Actually Undertook an International Bailout
      • Thoughts on French Budgetary Reforms
      • Seniors Start Businesses
      • The Case for Slimming Down the US Military to Make it Better
      • Looking at the Obama Administration's New Approach to Economic Policy
      • Should the Government Regulate the Credit Card Industry?
      • The Big Three's Big Chance
      • The Unhealthy Tone of the Healthcare Reform Debate
      • Should the federal government offer a bailout for home owners?
      • Environmentalists: Do They Do More Good Than More Harm?
      • Responding to Scott Walker's Contribution to the War on Unions
    • US Government >
      • America Needs to Focus on the Impending Fiscal Crisis
      • Reacting to the Bush Era-tax Cut Extension Deal
      • Quitting the Obama Revolution: The Fickle Nature of American Politics
      • John Boehner's Circus
      • Is the Fed Putting Itself in Jeopardy?
      • Wikileaks Goes After the US State Department
      • Discussing the Political Environment Surrounding the 2011 Budget Debate
      • What the Democrats Can Do to Ensure a GOP Year in 2012
      • What the 2010 Midterm Actually Said
      • Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper
      • Democrats Minus Nancy Pelosi Equals Opportunity
      • Terrorists Go Postal: The Terrorism Threat Reexamined
      • Victory in the 2008 Election: Reaction to Barack Obama'a Win >
        • Expectations for Barack Obama
      • President Obama's first one hundred days
      • John McCain's Negative Campaign
      • Reasons People did not Elect John Mccain
      • History judges the George W. Bush Administration
      • Should the next US President focus on domestic issues?
      • President Bush, should he resign or be impeached
      • Should the Ban on Government Sponsored Assassinations be Repealed
    • Off Topic >
      • A Face of America’s Greatest Generation
      • A Story About a Man Who Made the World a Better Place
      • Making the World a Better Place
      • The Bipolar Ethical Nature of Google
      • Learning Computer Plays Jeopardy
      • Verifying Medicine is the Real Thing
      • Taking a Practical Step Forward in Optical Computing Using Slow Light
      • Scientists Take a Closer Look at How Lithium Batteries Work
      • Remarking on the First Blizzard of the 2010-2011 Winter Season
      • Driving in the Snow: Acceleration is the Key
      • How People in Northwest PA Are Coping with the Increasing Cost of Oil
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