It's an election year so nonsense is afoot no matter where you turn. But I just read a very common sense argument for the common good. And it was not at Sojourners or a lefty news outfit. It was from Fox's Bill Kristol.
In my most recent article at the Huffington Post, I had some harsh things to say about Fox News & the right wing radio crowd. I honestly think Fox has grown to fully resemble the caricature of themselves we used to see on SNL. It used to be a joke. Now it's all too real. When your viewers are consistently less informed than people who get all of their news from satirical news shows like the Daily Show and the Colbert Report, it's probably time to stop calling yourself fair and balanced... I'm just saying. Why not just get a new tagline like, "News That's Right," or "The Conservative Perspective," and be proud of it?
Nevertheless, I've always kind of like Kristol. He doesn't froth at the mouth and although I agree with very little of his politics, he's always seemed like a reasonable guy. Kristol had an extremely piece in The Weekly Standard. Remember Kristol is a Fox contributor and conservative/neo-con leader. He's writing in The Weekly Standard, which is an extremely conservative publication.
In the article Kristol writes:
"Post 2008, capitalism needs its strong defenders—but its defenders need also to be its constructive critics. The Tea Party was right. What's needed is a critique of Big Government above all, but also of Big Business and Big Finance and Big Labor (and Big Education and Big Media and all the rest)—and especially a critique of all those occasions when one or more of these institutions conspire against the common good. What's needed is a willingness to put Main Street (at least slightly) ahead of Wall Street, and a reform agenda for capitalism that strengthens it, alongside an even more dramatic reform agenda for government that limits it."
I seriously almost fell out of my chair. For one thing, it's nearly word for word what I wrote in my critique of the Tea Party in the Huffington Post. The common good is under siege. For another thing, a leading conservative just made a cogent argument for the reform of capitalism and the common good... what the what?
He recommends "a reform agenda for capitalism," and says that the critique of big government must also extend to "Big Business and Big Finance, and Big Labor... especially when one or more of these institutions conspire against the common good." I think Kristol will have some serious trouble on his right flank (I didn't know he had one!) - but I say, go for it William! You are making some sense.
6 comments:
You seemed surprised that a bright guy like Kristol could have a coherent thought that you agree with.
I try and avoid the political discussions but once in a while I'll pipe in.
I'm guessing your comment about Fox viewers being less informed than others comes from all the stories regarding the Fairleigh Dickinson poll. A poll of only 612 individuals only from the state of New Jersey.
What you may not know is that MSNBC viewers ranked nearly as ignorant as Fox viewers in the same poll.
Unfortunately that narrative doesn't fit the template.
And that template is Fox viewers, along with conservatives are ignorant(and they "froth at the mouth").
I read your article in the HuffPo regarding the Tea Party. Honestly, once someone throws out the term fascism in reference to any of the political parties, and both sides do it, I have a tendency to discount the article.
None of us has a monopoly on the truth or right thinking. All sides have a variety good guys and bad. It just seems as though conservative thought anathema.
Hey Scott! Good to hear from you. Oh, I am totally aware MSNBC viewers have a pretty distorted view of reality. I don't watch either one to get news.
The fascism comparison you mentioned from is a complex critique. I debated about using it, but it's been made often before, most famously by Reinhold Niebuhr. Fascism is where you end up if you push the absolutization of personal freedom (w/out reference to the common good), to its logical extreme. It's good to keep the ends in mind when arguing for current means - that's all I'm saying. Plus, fascism is a real thing, and was a huge part of the past century. Let me ask a question. Do you feel the same objection when someone mentions socialism to critique the left? It's the other logical extreme & is an important part of understanding the means of the American political left.
What makes Kristol's article so amazing to me is that ever since the 2008 financial collapse, phrases such as "the common good" or "economic justice," and especially "social justice," have been slighted by the hosts on Fox News. I've never heard any conservative mention Big Business as part of the problem along with Big Gov't. It was a stunning admission, and I'm really glad he made it. But I think he'll be criticized for it.
I don't think you'll ever hear me state or even infer that Fox News viewers are ignorant or froth at the mouth. But it's not a stretch to say that if Fox is all you watch, then you are misinformed. David Frum's article is brilliant. His characterization of the conservative thinking tank, Fox News, Conservative Radio complex as a formidable power which is systematically manufacturing misinformation is right on, in my opinion.
I'm in the middle of the third part of the series where I make the case for conservativism as an essential, helpful, and good part of American society... It'll be up in the HuffPo soon.
Tim.
Please don’t take my remarks as an endorsement for one side or another. That couldn’t be further from the truth. I just like being devils advocate on political issues. I’m as appalled by the current class of would-be Presidents when they call President Obama a european socialist as I am when democrats say that conservatives want to starve children and kill old people.
I bristle a bit though when politicians speak of the common good (probably because there definition of common good is whats good for them). I want to know what they mean by that and who gets to determine what the common good is. Kristol mentions the common good but he also mentions the need for strong defenders of capitalism. I don’t think there is a healthy discussion around either issue. We need to remember that as an economic system capitalism has lifted more people out of poverty than any other. There are flaws but as an owner of two corporations, a creator of wealth for others, I’m tired of being the bad guy. You know the narrative. Corporations are evil, CEO’s are the scurge of the earth. Just some thoughts
Scott
You make a great point, "I bristle a bit though when politicians speak of the common good (probably because there definition of common good is whats good for them)." Your point about the importance of not demonizing CEOs out of hand is a good one as well.
I am neutral on economic systems. Sometimes people forget that capitalism was a disaster before common sense regulation. I like Shane Claiborne's characterization. He says we should dream of a world where capitalism would not be possible and socialism would not be necessary.
I'd like to see a discussion of this sort of opinion that avoided demonizing anyone. Since we're all fallible - oh, so fallible - we should find a way to extend that bit of grace to those we're talking about. I'm probably wanting pie in the sky, though - we are, after all, talking about political discourse to some degree.
The main thing to remember, I think, is that there is no perfect system. Somebody is going to win more than others, and someone is going to lose more than others. Outcomes tend to cluster, in other words, and the clusters are distributed unevenly. This belief of mine isn't based on a theoretical notion, but instead on a lifetime of examining and observing political and economic systems, all of them flawed to some degree.
Good words DB - no perfect systems, especially when it comes to economic systems. And every (maybe not every, but nearly every??), system can either work for or against the kingdom of God.
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