Comeback to the Future

By Steven Johnston — April 2, 2009 at 1:36 am

A proposal for rejuvenating the Republican Party

American conservatism is in disarray. Democrats won decisively in the 2006 midterm and 2008 presidential elections. Once reliably conservative constituencies like married couples and regular churchgoers are shrinking in size, and young voters voted overwhelmingly Democratic. Conservatism is out of power and out of steam.

With both the White House and Capitol Hill now in Democratic hands and Republicans at a crossroads, conservatives are asking the question: where are today’s Buckleys, and Reagans? David Frum answers the call for a conservative ideological renewal, but from a very different angle, with Comeback: Conservatism That Can Win Again. In Comeback, Frum aptly assesses the need for conservatives to tailor policies to the problems of the present. Calling government “the problem” may have worked for Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, but Frum argues for a fundamental shift of focus, toward solutions that will make government more competent and effective, rather than simply shrink it.

After Bush

Frum points out, largely for the Republican faithful, that although George W. Bush was more conservative than Barack Obama, Bush did not govern everywhere and always as a conservative. Major Bush accomplishments such as campaign finance reform, No Child Left Behind, and the massive prescription drug benefit all increased the size and scope of the federal government. But, according to Frum, because many voters defined Bush’s presidency by the increasingly unpopular Iraq war and the federal government’s inadequate response to Hurricane Katrina, voters took out their frustration by voting against Republican candidates up and down the ballot.

What is a conservative to do? There are those who think the answer is simply getting “back to basics”: smaller government and fewer taxes. Frum is not one of them. He derides the idea of a purely organizational or aesthetic retooling, in favor of a fundamental about-face and the endless veneration of past icons like Reagan.

New answers for new questions

Frum shows some ingenuity as he addresses making the US economy more globally competitive. He proposes shifting the tax burden to consumption and energy use rather than earnings and savings, a change that would fundamentally alter how Americans view their money. Such a shift would also encourage thrift and investment, two virtues that are all too often disparaged in American society. Further, Frum suggests adjusting immigration to favor skilled workers as a way of reforming immigration while improving the quality of the national workforce.

The most paradigm-shattering idea in Comeback is Frum’s call for a “green conservatism.” He advocates a reduction of fossil fuel use through carbon taxes and the promotion of nuclear energy as the means to achieving clean, American, and cheap energy. For too long, Republicans have been seen as the ally of “big oil,” but with the changes that Frum outlines, Republicans could reclaim the mantle of environmental protection that they once held under Theodore Roosevelt.

The social dilemma

On social issues, Frum suggests ways for Republicans to soften their image. Rather than ban embryonic stem cell research, he calls for outlawing the sale and purchase of embryos. Instead of fighting to ban same-sex marriage, he suggests opposing “the multiplication of quasimarital statuses, especially when those are opened to cohabitating heterosexual couples.” He even proposes creating an Office of Marriage and Children to encourage marriage.

Frum even attempts to moderate the social conservative agenda, recasting the “pro-life” position into supporting embryonic stem cell research to save lives, working to reduce the number of abortions rather than criminalize the procedure, and most controversially, provide gay partnerships with equal access to the benefits enjoyed by straight marriages. Encourage marriage through greater tax and healthcare incentives. This modernized approach may be a tough pill to swallow for veteran culture warriors, and the problem with these changes Frum advocates is that they do not fully adjust to the realities of the party.

Comeback is an extremely relevant and thought-provoking glimpse into the future of American conservatism. Frum’s experience in the Bush White House undoubtedly positions him better than most to understand the reasons behind the current conservative slump. His new ideas to re-energize conservatism are creative and might get the Republicans back on track, but it remains to be seen if the Party of Reagan will settle for what he counsels.