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Parties within Parties
Nov. 6th, 2008 12:14 pmOne of my Warhammer boards has a pretty lively off topic section, and politics has been big on their minds for the past year. While talking about issues within the Republican party, a friend of mine posted this.
There are three major factions in the Republican party, as I see it:
1. The classic fiscal conservatives, who are very much akin to Libertarians. They want small government, with minimal interference in people's lives, low taxes, and fiscal responsibility.
2. The Neoconservatives. This faction is largely based on Kissinger's idea of Realpolitik- the need for basically American hegenomy and international control for our security and to ensure our economic might. This faction wants power, both for themselves and for America around the world, and will happily expand government to get it.
3. The theocratic social conservatives. This faction mostly just cares about their religious values, and wants them enforced by the state. Their priorities are abortion, no gay marriage, and the expression of their religious values in the public square (but not others') and with government assistance. They don't want the government to interfere with their actions, but are happy for it to interfere on their behalf.
So what you have here are three groups with pretty different agendas, but who are all called Republicans. Fiscal conservatives and theocratic conservatives look like they'd be at odds more than allies, but we still lump them together as Republicans. I think that does the party more of a disservice, painting everyone with the same brush. I'm sure there are subdivisions within the Democratic party, but I couldn't tell you off the top of my head.
How interesting would it be if the subdivisions broke out on their own, and formed their own policital parties? Now you'd have six parties where you had two before. The fiscal conservatives would probably absorb a lot of the libertarian party, or vice versa, and more marginal groups would be on closer footing with the big two. It probably would never happen, but I think more people should look at the parties within the parties. Stop seeing generic Democrats and Republicans, and start focusing on the subdivisions.
Be cool, or be cast out! (there, I finally made my Rush joke)
There are three major factions in the Republican party, as I see it:
1. The classic fiscal conservatives, who are very much akin to Libertarians. They want small government, with minimal interference in people's lives, low taxes, and fiscal responsibility.
2. The Neoconservatives. This faction is largely based on Kissinger's idea of Realpolitik- the need for basically American hegenomy and international control for our security and to ensure our economic might. This faction wants power, both for themselves and for America around the world, and will happily expand government to get it.
3. The theocratic social conservatives. This faction mostly just cares about their religious values, and wants them enforced by the state. Their priorities are abortion, no gay marriage, and the expression of their religious values in the public square (but not others') and with government assistance. They don't want the government to interfere with their actions, but are happy for it to interfere on their behalf.
So what you have here are three groups with pretty different agendas, but who are all called Republicans. Fiscal conservatives and theocratic conservatives look like they'd be at odds more than allies, but we still lump them together as Republicans. I think that does the party more of a disservice, painting everyone with the same brush. I'm sure there are subdivisions within the Democratic party, but I couldn't tell you off the top of my head.
How interesting would it be if the subdivisions broke out on their own, and formed their own policital parties? Now you'd have six parties where you had two before. The fiscal conservatives would probably absorb a lot of the libertarian party, or vice versa, and more marginal groups would be on closer footing with the big two. It probably would never happen, but I think more people should look at the parties within the parties. Stop seeing generic Democrats and Republicans, and start focusing on the subdivisions.
Be cool, or be cast out! (there, I finally made my Rush joke)
