The Impending Presidential Election and America's Common Enterprise
The United States is on the brink of a significant presidential election. Regardless of the outcome, approximately half of the nation will likely feel that disaster has been narrowly avoided, while the other half will believe that all hope is lost. The electorate is saturated with desperate hopes and fears of an apocalypse. Large sections of both the right and left, particularly within the intellectual class, are convinced that the other side is dishonest, evil, and intent on overthrowing American democracy. This deep-seated animosity towards those in opposing political camps poses a significant threat to the nation.
The Survival of Liberal Democracy
For a liberal democracy that protects rights to survive, its citizens must see themselves as part of a common enterprise. They need to share a common language and respect fundamental moral and political principles. They should take pride in their nation's achievements while acknowledging and rectifying its flaws. They must uphold the best of the nation's traditions and heed the imperatives of justice. They should trust that others will generally follow society's written and unwritten rules, just as they do. Furthermore, they must be committed to securing freedom for each individual, consistent with freedom for all. If these conditions are not met, democracy risks devolving into authoritarianism as citizens lose their ability to cooperate in nurturing their communities, maintaining a prosperous economy, and protecting their equal rights.
Challenges to America's Common Enterprise
Preserving unity within diversity can be challenging for citizens of a rights-protecting democracy. This is because rights and democracy encourage individuals and their respective groups to follow their own paths. Free citizens, endowed with different abilities and dispositions, develop unique interests, hold a variety of opinions, and pursue happiness in their own ways.
To maintain unity within this diversity, rights-protecting democracies must educate their citizens about their common enterprise. This common enterprise largely involves maintaining a political order that allows individuals, families, and their associations to peacefully and productively disagree not only on ordinary public policy but also on ultimate questions concerning moral excellence and the path to salvation.
A growing challenge to America's common enterprise comes from vehement calls to abandon the Constitution. Instead of debating the interpretation of specific constitutional provisions or discussing schools of constitutional jurisprudence, prominent progressive voices are increasingly condemning the Constitution as a whole. For example, Professors Ryan D. Doerfler and Samuel Moyn from Harvard and Yale Law Schools respectively, argued in the New York Times that to save democracy, we must "reclaim America from constitutionalism."
Members of the "new right," a loosely associated group of national conservatives and common-good conservatives, join progressives in rejecting the Constitution, albeit perhaps unintentionally. These self-proclaimed "postliberal" conservatives attribute America's moral, political, cultural, economic, and national-security woes to classical liberalism. However, the Constitution, which aims to secure the unalienable rights affirmed by the Declaration of Independence through limited government grounded in the consent of the governed, is deeply rooted in classical liberalism. Consequently, the new right's attacks on classical liberalism align with progressives who wish to rid the country of the Constitution.
The Case for the Constitution
In contrast to the enthusiasm for discarding the Constitution, eminent conservatives argue that a recovery of the Constitution's underlying political theory and its judicious design of primary political institutions can prevent a crisis of democracy in America. These conservatives, well-versed in history and political philosophy, both ancient and modern, tend to support former president Donald Trump without ignoring his shortcomings. They are well represented in "Democracy in America: a symposium," which appears in the New Criterion's October issue.
The New Criterion, a journal of arts, letters, and the larger public interest, and a leading publication of thoughtful conservatism, directly addresses the central issues. In his introduction to the symposium, magazine editor Roger Kimball argues that democracy in America is under "siege," a situation that has been escalating for over 15 years. According to Kimball, the left has become radicalized and emboldened following Barack Obama's victory in 2008 and the unexpected victory of Donald Trump.
Kimball argues that the left, in its radicalized state, has combined the claim that Trump aims to establish despotism with the accusation that the Constitution undermines democracy and subverts the common good. Progressive intellectuals contend that the proof of our Constitution's anti-democratic and dysfunctional nature lies in the fact that it allowed Trump to be elected president once and may allow it again.
In contrast, the contributors to The New Criterion symposium argue that a major source of the nation's problems is the disparagement of, and deviation from, the Constitution. They emphasize the spirit of liberty under law that animates the Constitution and the structure of government by which it maintains freedom. Drawing inspiration from Tocqueville's 19th-century masterpiece, "Democracy in America," they also highlight non-governmental supports of freedom such as family, faith, civic association, liberal education, and the moral and intellectual virtues.
The Future of Conservatism
Facing what he perceives as the progressive juggernaut, Kimball concludes that conservatism has three main choices. The first, "outright surrender," is dishonorable. The second, "the dhimmitude of the well-pressed but housebroken Right that exchanges its pampered place on the plantation for political irrelevance," is equally unacceptable. Therefore, Kimball opts for the third choice, "the perhaps paradoxical option of what we might call Alinskyite conservatism, after the canny left-wing activist Saul Alinsky." This option rejects the quietism of surrender for the activism of what Donald Trump calls "winning."
The activist option aimed at winning is preferable, provided two conditions are met. Activism must revolve around the energetic defense of constitutional essentials. And winning must signify the restoration of a common enterprise to secure the liberty under law that is the enduring promise of rights-protecting democracy in America.
Bottom Line
The impending presidential election and the challenges facing America's common enterprise highlight the importance of understanding and upholding the principles that underpin the nation's democracy. The debate over the relevance and value of the Constitution in today's political climate is a critical one. What are your thoughts on this matter? Do you agree with the arguments presented in this article? Share this article with your friends and join the conversation. Don't forget to sign up for the Daily Briefing, which is available every day at 6pm.
The Impending Presidential Election and America's Common Enterprise
The United States is on the brink of a significant presidential election. Regardless of the outcome, approximately half of the nation will likely feel that disaster has been narrowly avoided, while the other half will believe that all hope is lost. The electorate is saturated with desperate hopes and fears of an apocalypse. Large sections of both the right and left, particularly within the intellectual class, are convinced that the other side is dishonest, evil, and intent on overthrowing American democracy. This deep-seated animosity towards those in opposing political camps poses a significant threat to the nation.
The Survival of Liberal Democracy
For a liberal democracy that protects rights to survive, its citizens must see themselves as part of a common enterprise. They need to share a common language and respect fundamental moral and political principles. They should take pride in their nation's achievements while acknowledging and rectifying its flaws. They must uphold the best of the nation's traditions and heed the imperatives of justice. They should trust that others will generally follow society's written and unwritten rules, just as they do. Furthermore, they must be committed to securing freedom for each individual, consistent with freedom for all. If these conditions are not met, democracy risks devolving into authoritarianism as citizens lose their ability to cooperate in nurturing their communities, maintaining a prosperous economy, and protecting their equal rights.
Challenges to America's Common Enterprise
Preserving unity within diversity can be challenging for citizens of a rights-protecting democracy. This is because rights and democracy encourage individuals and their respective groups to follow their own paths. Free citizens, endowed with different abilities and dispositions, develop unique interests, hold a variety of opinions, and pursue happiness in their own ways.
To maintain unity within this diversity, rights-protecting democracies must educate their citizens about their common enterprise. This common enterprise largely involves maintaining a political order that allows individuals, families, and their associations to peacefully and productively disagree not only on ordinary public policy but also on ultimate questions concerning moral excellence and the path to salvation.
A growing challenge to America's common enterprise comes from vehement calls to abandon the Constitution. Instead of debating the interpretation of specific constitutional provisions or discussing schools of constitutional jurisprudence, prominent progressive voices are increasingly condemning the Constitution as a whole. For example, Professors Ryan D. Doerfler and Samuel Moyn from Harvard and Yale Law Schools respectively, argued in the New York Times that to save democracy, we must "reclaim America from constitutionalism."
Members of the "new right," a loosely associated group of national conservatives and common-good conservatives, join progressives in rejecting the Constitution, albeit perhaps unintentionally. These self-proclaimed "postliberal" conservatives attribute America's moral, political, cultural, economic, and national-security woes to classical liberalism. However, the Constitution, which aims to secure the unalienable rights affirmed by the Declaration of Independence through limited government grounded in the consent of the governed, is deeply rooted in classical liberalism. Consequently, the new right's attacks on classical liberalism align with progressives who wish to rid the country of the Constitution.
The Case for the Constitution
In contrast to the enthusiasm for discarding the Constitution, eminent conservatives argue that a recovery of the Constitution's underlying political theory and its judicious design of primary political institutions can prevent a crisis of democracy in America. These conservatives, well-versed in history and political philosophy, both ancient and modern, tend to support former president Donald Trump without ignoring his shortcomings. They are well represented in "Democracy in America: a symposium," which appears in the New Criterion's October issue.
The New Criterion, a journal of arts, letters, and the larger public interest, and a leading publication of thoughtful conservatism, directly addresses the central issues. In his introduction to the symposium, magazine editor Roger Kimball argues that democracy in America is under "siege," a situation that has been escalating for over 15 years. According to Kimball, the left has become radicalized and emboldened following Barack Obama's victory in 2008 and the unexpected victory of Donald Trump.
Kimball argues that the left, in its radicalized state, has combined the claim that Trump aims to establish despotism with the accusation that the Constitution undermines democracy and subverts the common good. Progressive intellectuals contend that the proof of our Constitution's anti-democratic and dysfunctional nature lies in the fact that it allowed Trump to be elected president once and may allow it again.
In contrast, the contributors to The New Criterion symposium argue that a major source of the nation's problems is the disparagement of, and deviation from, the Constitution. They emphasize the spirit of liberty under law that animates the Constitution and the structure of government by which it maintains freedom. Drawing inspiration from Tocqueville's 19th-century masterpiece, "Democracy in America," they also highlight non-governmental supports of freedom such as family, faith, civic association, liberal education, and the moral and intellectual virtues.
The Future of Conservatism
Facing what he perceives as the progressive juggernaut, Kimball concludes that conservatism has three main choices. The first, "outright surrender," is dishonorable. The second, "the dhimmitude of the well-pressed but housebroken Right that exchanges its pampered place on the plantation for political irrelevance," is equally unacceptable. Therefore, Kimball opts for the third choice, "the perhaps paradoxical option of what we might call Alinskyite conservatism, after the canny left-wing activist Saul Alinsky." This option rejects the quietism of surrender for the activism of what Donald Trump calls "winning."
The activist option aimed at winning is preferable, provided two conditions are met. Activism must revolve around the energetic defense of constitutional essentials. And winning must signify the restoration of a common enterprise to secure the liberty under law that is the enduring promise of rights-protecting democracy in America.
Bottom Line
The impending presidential election and the challenges facing America's common enterprise highlight the importance of understanding and upholding the principles that underpin the nation's democracy. The debate over the relevance and value of the Constitution in today's political climate is a critical one. What are your thoughts on this matter? Do you agree with the arguments presented in this article? Share this article with your friends and join the conversation. Don't forget to sign up for the Daily Briefing, which is available every day at 6pm.
