The Intrinsic Compassion of Conservatism

"Eight years of failed policies." The words echo in my ears and frustrate me today just like they did during the 2009 US presidential campaign. With an unpopular war testing the patience and attention span of the American people, Senator and candidate Barack Obama found traction in showing disdain for the entirety of President Bush's political philosophy and track record.

Eight years prior, Governor George W. Bush of Texas campaigned successfully with an economic philosophy tagged Compassionate Conservatism. But in 2009 as the markets slid and mega-corporations began to fail, Obama was more than happy to point the finger of blame at free market capitalism specifically and conservatism generally.

President Obama took the oath of office on January 20, 2009 with a 256-178 majority in Congress and, shortly thereafter, a 60-40 filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. It's been 14 months since inauguration day, and what we are seeing is liberalism on full-display. The rush to expand government size's and influence has been breath-taking. And much of the American public still believes that the Democrat initiatives are vehicles of compassion, and cause for hope.


I don't buy it. I'm at a season of life where I could blend into the woodwork politically like most mild-mannered middle-class middle-agers. Most of my personal endeavors would be enhanced by speaking the language of the moderate. Seems like most of my friends and associates would rather leave the politics to the wild-eyed politicians and go about the day. But each time I feel a touch of apathy for public policy, I feel smacked upside the head. Kicked in the teeth...just like when I had to listen to "eight years of failed policies."

I think I believe in the intrinsic compassion of conservatism more than Al Gore believes in man-made global warming. That's quite a bit. I don't believe that every conservative is brilliant and noble. But the foundations of limited government, strong national defense, and fiscal responsibility ring true to me as self-evident. Separation of powers, decentralized authority, personal responsibility and potential. I promise you that my embracing of these principles has nothing to do with political parties or the president's race!


So the Northwoods Compassion blog is a place where I want to lay out my reasons for why I believe that loving our neighbor and showing compassion to our fellow man works best when conservatism is active in the heart and soul of the land. I love people. I enjoy being with folks in all parts of my life, and I genuinely want a peaceful and prosperous existence for as many as possible. If you don't believe that, if you feel my motives are power and manipulation and control, please peruse all of my blogs. My heart is on my sleeve.

Marvin Olasky was a key advisor to George W. Bush both in Texas and in Washington. His writings on compassionate conservatism were influential beyond his wildest dreams. I'm not an Olasky disciple, but his framework for conservatism as intrinsically compassionate is very good. He's not advocating watered-down conservatism with enough liberalism sprinkled in to make it genuinely caring. He's saying that when conservatism wins the day, poverty and crime have a tougher time working their addictions on people and prosperity and freedom bring genuine hope.

"In 1990 I wrote the Tragedy of American Compassion, which presented a history previously hidden in the stacks of the Library of Congress. The book showed how a century ago, before the federal government ever became involved, thousands of local, faith-based charitable agencies and churches around the country waged a war on poverty much more successful than our own."

"...The major flaw of the modern welfare state is not that it is extravagant, but that it is too stingy. It gives the needy bread and tells them to be content with that alone. It gives the rest of us the opportunity to be stingy also, and to salve our consciences even as we scrimp on what many of the destitute need most -- love, time, and a challenge to be "little lower than the angels" rather than one thumb up from monkeys."

(Marvin Olasky, Compassionate Conservatism, New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000, p. 3-4)

Yes! I've worked shoulder-to-shoulder with locals and faith-based groups. I've seen and felt the passionate commitment of helping people who remain in dire circumstances despite 75 years of increasing government involvement with social programs.


When we delegate this responsibility to the government, a couple of problems arise:


1. It ultimately doesn't work.
2. We lose our souls in the process.

In northern Wisconsin, we're going to hear starkly opposing views of what comprises compassion in public policy as we move toward the November 2010 elections. As a father with three kids in my life, ages 7, 16 and 19, I've learned that feeding my family candy every day is not compassion. But we're going to hear stories and arguments from David Obey and camp in support of government programs as the answer to society's ills. I'll be here!