Revealing the Rhetoric... Gaining Perspective on The Radical Red Shift

Just calling someone a Communist doesn't make them one. There has been an effort to frame centrist policy as radically leftist, this Radical Red Shift has effectively kept us focused on clever words rather than on devious deeds. Repeated propaganda has a power that is best countered with real information. Looking at the range of political expressions, it becomes clear that the Democratic Party owns the Center as the GOP moves further to the radical right.

-- Compromise does not mean finding some middle ground between any radical idea and effective and efficient government policy. --

Congress is not a barter market, compromise does not mean finding some middle ground between any radical idea and effective and efficient government policy. When given 2 choices that are always many other options between or outside the given ones. By portraying all issues as if there were only two sides we have started to forget the range of the continuum.  Instead of remembering what the "extreme left" was, the right has rhetorically painted centrist policy as radically left. The idea that positions could even be lined up shoulder to shoulder along a line of choices is very simplified, all issues are much more complex as they involve many other dimensions. Let's look at how political policies affect "freedoms".

"Freedom" is an interesting word, George Lakoff identifies it as a "contested term". Political policy can be looked at as supporting or limiting a range freedoms. By using the term in a very general and non-specific way you can reshape the meaning to apply to almost anything (e.g. freedom to dump toxins into a river or to buy assault weapons without a background check). But meaning can be gained by looking at ranges; looking at freedoms as a continuum of economic freedoms and social freedoms can clarify what freedom really is.

Consider economic freedoms as existing on a spectrum from the left to the right. The far left is characterized by a government in complete control of, and even owning, the means of production. Soviet communism attempted this level of economic control, owning every farm, factory, and everything from production to distribution. It was unwieldy and it didn't work. On the far right, policies support corporations taking over typical government responsibilities. Most recently, the conservatives privatized military operations and interrogation in Iraq and Afghanistan. Currently your credit card company knows more about you than your government. In the middle, is sensible regulation of private industry while providing the security and public infrastructure of transportation, a secure banking system and contract enforcement through public courts. These regulations attempt to level the playing field to maximize Economic Freedoms for as many people as possible.

Democrats believe that government has a moral mission to protect and empower the people. Democratic policies and voting records range between the center left and center right. These policies work towards ensuring the economic freedoms by empowering employees and businesses while  protecting the commonwealth from environmental damage and enhancing public access. In many cases progressives might see opportunities for increased efficiency and better administration by owning some of the "means of production" but these options have often been removed from discussion... it is not the pragmatic reality of current policy... essentially there is no left in America and certainly no "Radical Left". Just being left of the "Radical Right" is not radical, it is solidly "Centrist".

--There is no left in America and certainly no "Radical Left". Being left of the "Radical Right" is not radical, it is solidly "Centrist".--

Republicans have moved to the "Radical Right" with recent innovations like "Money is Speech" and "Corporations are People". These 2 stances might have been unimaginable in a democracy but are just steps towards the further possible expression of the Right. The extreme right would be characterized by the -- no public government -- of Grover Norquist's "Starved Beast", where government is small enough to drown in a bathtub. This does not mean actually no governing entities... but rather that a "private government" run by corporations would control all aspects of the economy. Privateering of public infrastructure by selling off established and efficient public services (e.g. like a towns water supply) or contracting out for typical government duties are examples of transferring power and establishing private government. 


On the vertical scale we can plot Social Freedoms. At the top of the spectrum is Anarchy. Anarchy is the complete freedom to do as you please with no concern for the freedoms of others. In the movie "Mad Max" Anarchy had fallen into a violent and self destructive world... far from a utopia. The bottom of the continuum would represent total Authoritarian control, this may be like a Fascist State controlling what the citizens think, do and say. The Center of the Social Freedoms scale could be characterized as policy supporting citizens to do whatever they want as long as it doesn't impose on the freedoms of others.

On a range of social issues the two parties tend to differ on the role and interference of government, often perceiving these within the framework of their worldviews. In general Progressives tend to see support of government through the protection and empowerment as requisite to help level the playing field and allow anyone to succeed. George Lakoff has explained this worldview as seeing the government and citizens as a nurturing family; on the other hand, the Conservatives tend to see the ideal family as headed by a strict father.   These views may alter how people see social freedoms but in general many see the Republican Policies of restricting women's health choices including preventing contraception, restricting same sex marriage, increasing surveillance, resuming torture, detainment without charge, death penalty, the war on drugs and many other policies that interfere with citizens social freedoms appear more authoritarian. In general, Democrats fight for increasing public access to the beauty of nature, creating parks on prime real estate like beach fronts and mountain ranges, limiting crime by addressing its causes and striving to increase civil liberties while limiting infringements on other's rights. 

As the Economic Freedom scale and the Social Freedom scale are superimposed they overlap to form the Political Alignment Graph. The range of freedoms becomes much more complex, and much more realistic. Throughout history different systems have experimented in many of the regions of this graph. For instance, Soviet Communism would fall in the lower left with government controlling the economy and social life. I think if anyone in America was suggesting this it would be fair to call them radical. No one is! Let's look at the spectrum in light of today's American political reality.

In the lower right is the Republican Party with a strong belief in party discipline to increase authoritarian control of the population; shifting power to the wealthy and large corporations. In the center of the graph supporting responsible business and personal responsibility is the Democratic Party. 

In stated policy the Democratic Party represents the Center as the Republican Party continues to propagate and even innovate more "Radical Right" ideas. In the effort to counter the rhetoric which portrays the radical right Republican policy as 'centrist' and Democratic Policy as 'radically left' we have a tool - the Political Alignment Graph. In America there are few people (or in the world) who would support a Radical Left policy like Soviet Era Communism. There is no radical left in America.

Currently the most Progressive option, the most Centrist option, and I would argue, the most Libertarian option (if social freedom is of prime importance) is for you to Vote Democratic. Many have a perspective that the Republican Party best represents their views. But the idea that Independents might fit neatly into a center between these 2 parties is almost laughable; there are few who would prefer slightly less regulation and slightly more authoritarian control of government... but that is what the myth of the radical left has been selling.

This November we go to the polls and select who will be our President for the next 4 years and whether he will have a supportive congress. Whatever happens, America, and you, and I will be okay. I hope the Political Alignment Graph is useful as a tool to help clarify communication about recent political rhetoric and the Radical Red Shift. Or if not, it may give you a personal tool to help avoid getting frustrated or help you laugh when you're watching Fox News.