This is the second part of a four-part essay that examines why conservatives have trouble getting elected and remaining true to their conservative principles. Here are the four parts:
- Societal Succession and the Loss of Frontier Virtues
- The Organized Political Constituency
- The Politician’s Dilemma
- Pivotal Role of Baby Boomers
In the first part, we reviewed how our society is losing its frontier virtues as we transition to a highly urbanized civilization. In this section, we consider the primary mechanism responsible for the concentration of government power, the organized political constituency.
The Organized Political Constituency
Almost all of us want to live in an orderly society and to have our rights protected. None of us, for example, want to be bullied or robbed. So we organize ourselves to provide for the administration and enforcement of justice.Ostensibly, all governments have the responsibility to maintain order and to protect the rights of the citizens that form them. This requirement for a government to provide for justice, unfortunately, makes government itself a liability. Of necessity, government has the
means to concentrate and exercise great power. Government uses force to prohibit criminals from interfering with the rights of their fellow citizens. To exist, government must deprive people of their property and labor. In the extreme, government can force people into actions they find abominable, including such things as slavery and wars of conquest.Because the people in charge of the government exercise great power, people vie with each other to gain control. In our country, we compete for power by forming organized political constituencies. In what follows we shall try to answer three questions about organized political constituencies.
- What is an organized political constituency?
- Why do people form organized political constituencies?
- Why do organized political constituencies result in the growth and concentration of government power?
What is an organized political constituency?
If you search on the Internet for the phrase “organized political constituency,” you will get plenty of hits. Often, you will see the phrase contained in a statement that goes something like this: “because the future has no organized political constituency, we urge you to” or this: “a strong and organized political constituency is essential to reverse the trends of the rising inequality and ease the burdens of ordinary families.” So what is an “organized political constituency.” An organized political constituency is a special interest group that has sufficient funds to lobby elected leaders and to promote the election of particular candidates. Such a group has the capacity to initiate letter writing campaigns to newspapers and the politicians and to advertise in the mass media and influence public opinion. In particular, an organized political constituency can make campaign contributions to the candidates it endorses.To be an organized political constituency, a special interest group must meets the following two requirements:
- The group must have a self-identified membership that shares well defined goals. A high percentage of this membership must vote at the ballot box based upon these goals.
- The group must organize to collect funds and use those funds to further its political goals.
Examples of such groups include the ABA, the AARP, the NRA, industrial and agricultural associations (sugar, steel, and peanut), unions (NEA and AFGE), military organizations (MOAA and AMRA), right to life and prochoice groups, environmental groups (Sierra Club and EDF), civil rights groups such as the NAACP, and so forth. Such organizations are the reason we have so many lobbyists. In fact, even though we supposedly have a secular government, we also have religious organizations that lobby. For example, here and here.If there is any possible reason to do so, there are people who will form a lobby. In fact, even the future has lobbyists. Some examples are here and here.
Why do people form organized political constituencies?
Our reasons for “getting involved” vary from person to person. However, I expect we can be rightly guided by one of the most noted politicians of recent times, Thomas Phillip “Tip” O’Neill, Jr., who served as Speaker of the House from 1977 until his retirement in 1987. Speaker O’Neill famously said: “all politics is local.” If all politics is local, then that is true because all politics is personal. That is, to the extent something is personally important to us, we take an interest in politics.Consider the opposition to the 40-mile transmission power line that Dominion Virginia Power has planned along I-66. As reported here, we have demonstrators and T-shirts. As noted here, the Piedmont Environmental Council is going to spend big bucks, and as reported here and here, our local political leaders are listening.Because of
Dominion Virginia Power’s power line, many people, who might otherwise not be greatly interested in politics have suddenly become mobilized. Most of these people are property owners near the proposed path of the power line. They anticipate an eyesore, and they are worried by rumors of health concerns. Moreover, they fear falling property values. They do not want the power line near their homes or their children’s schools. Almost instinctively recognizing the advantage of numbers, they have gathered in force to wage holy war for “the cause.”Why do organized political constituencies result in the growth and concentration of government power?
By definition, in a democracy the People choose the men and women who run the government. In our country, the People protect democratic government by selecting leaders whose character and values conform with constitutional government and the traditions that support such government. Consider that democracy is only an idea, one of many possible ways for a society to govern itself. The concept itself has few set rules. The rules we follow are simply those proscribed by our Constitution and our national traditions. However, as many have found to their chagrin, even the Constitution is subject to sometimes quite flexible interpretation. In practice, what the rules are depends upon the character and the values of the people we put in charge.
When our primary concern about government is the legislation and enforcement of just laws, as a whole People we provide an organized political constituency for constitutional democracy. In their frontier society, early Americans expected little more from government than justice. On the frontier, the government was often far away. So early Americans chose their leaders because they were known to be men of good character. That is, early Americans voted for leaders they believed would properly maintain the institutions of justice.Big government arrives with civilization. With more people, of necessity more regulation is required. However, it does not stop there. In addition to greater regulation, there is more opportunity for government to provide “services.” In our country, such “services” range from public education and welfare to sewage treatment and free medical care. For each of these “services,” there is an organized political constituency.
With the arrival of civilization, organized political constituencies proliferate. Organized political constituencies fragment our society. Instead focusing on the basic purpose of government, the need to provide just law, organized political constituencies lead us into battle for heartfelt causes. Organized political constituencies balkanize us into contending interest groups. Instead of choosing our leaders in accordance with what we know of their character and their commitment to the rule of law, we concern ourselves with their commitment to “the cause.”When each of us has an overriding commitment to “the cause,” the functions of government, of necessity, multiply. Each time we ask our leaders to give us something, particularly something for “free,” we in effect give our leaders full control of ever greater portions of our wealth. The end result of such behavior is all too obvious. In return for the endless promises of politicians, we jeopardize our freedom and eventually our right to choose our leaders.
Next week this four-part essay will continue with “The Politician’s Dilemma.” That section will discuss the role we play as voters in corrupting our leaders.
