Compassionate conservatism
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Conservatism in the United States |
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Compassionate conservatism is an American[1][2] political philosophy that stresses using conservative techniques and concepts in order to improve the general welfare of society. The philosophy supports the implementation of policies designed to help the disadvantaged and alleviate poverty through the free market, envisaging a triangular relationship between government, charities and faith-based organizations.[3] The term entered mainstream parlance between 2001 and 2009, during the administration of US President George W. Bush. He used the term often to describe his personal views and embody some parts of his administration's agenda and policy approach.[4][5]
The term itself is often credited to the American historian and politician Doug Wead, who used it as the title of a speech in 1979. Although its origins lie mostly in accepted economic principles, some applications of it have been criticized as paternalism.[4] The term has been used in the United Kingdom by former Prime Minister David Cameron, and in New Zealand by former Prime Minister John Key.[6]
The term "compassionate conservatism" has been applied to the Christian democratic political parties.[7] However, Christian democrats are far more supportive of interventionism in the economy.[8]
Origins of the term
Historian and presidential advisor Doug Wead may have been the first person to use the phrase compassionate conservative. In 1977, Wead wrote a book about Kolkata, India, entitled The Compassionate Touch.[9] In 1979, he gave a popular speech entitled "The Compassionate Conservative" at the annual Washington Charity Dinner. Tapes of the speech were sold across the country at corporate seminars.[10]
Wead contended that the policies of Republican conservatives should be motivated by compassion, not protecting the status quo. He declared himself to be "a bleeding heart conservative," meaning that he cared for people and sincerely believed that a free marketplace was better for the poor.
In 1981, in a perhaps-unrelated usage,
I do not challenge the conservatism of this Administration. I do challenge its failure to exhibit a compassionate conservatism that adapts itself to the realities of a society ridden by class and race distinction.
— Vernon Jordan
In 1982, Wead co-authored with
In 1984,
I think we should adopt the slogan of compassionate conservatism...We can be fiscally conservative without losing our commitment to the needy and we must redirect our policy in that direction.
— Rep. James R. Jones
Earlier the same year Republican Ray Shamie proclaimed that "I believe in a visionary and compassionate conservatism"[14]
In June 1986, Wead wrote an article for the Christian Herald, describing then-vice-president George H. W. Bush, to whom he served as an aide, as a "compassionate conservative."[15]
According to journalist Jacob Weisberg, George W. Bush, George H. W. Bush's son, first picked up the term "compassionate conservative" from Wead, in 1987.[16]
In 1992, when Doug Wead ran for U.S. Representative from Arizona, he wrote a campaign book entitled Time for a Change. The first chapter was called "The Compassionate Conservative" and outlined Wead's philosophy that the masses did not care if Republican policies worked if the attitude and purpose behind the policies were uncaring.[17]
Some insist the doctrine was invented by
The phrase was popularized when
As a political descriptor
Use in the 1990s
Compassionate conservatism has been defined as the belief that
Magnet and Olasky said 19th century compassionate conservatism was based in part on the Christian doctrine of original sin, which held that "Man is sinful and likely to want something for nothing. … Man's sinful nature leads to indolence."[20]
In the words of Magnet,[21]
Compassionate conservatives [...] offer a new way of thinking about the poor. They know that telling the poor that they are mere passive victims, whether of racism or of vast economic forces, is not only false but also destructive, paralyzing the poor with thoughts of their own helplessness and inadequacy. The poor need the larger society's moral support; they need to hear the message of personal responsibility and self-reliance, the optimistic assurance that if they try—as they must—they will make it. They need to know, too, that they can't blame "the system" for their own wrongdoing.
— Myron Magnet, The Wall Street Journal
Compassionate conservative philosophy argues for policies in support of traditional families, welfare reform to promote individual responsibility (cf. workfare), active policing, standards-based schools (cf. No Child Left Behind Act), and assistance (economic or otherwise) to poor countries around the world.
"It is compassionate to actively help our citizens in need. It is conservative to insist on accountability and results."
— President George W. Bush
Bush began his presidency hoping to make compassionate conservatism his centerpiece. After the
Reception and criticism
Nicholas Lemann, writing in New Yorker magazine in 2015, wrote that George W. Bush's "description of himself, in the 2000 campaign, as a 'compassionate conservative' was brilliantly vague—liberals heard it as 'I'm not all that conservative,' and conservatives heard it as 'I'm deeply religious.' It was about him as a person, not a program."[24]
In a July 1999 speech to the
Some critics of George W. Bush criticized the phrase "compassionate conservatism" as simply sugarcoating, an empty phrase to make traditional conservatism sound more appealing to moderate voters. Liberal commentator Joe Conason, noting Bush's policy of tax cuts, wrote in 2003 that "so far, being a 'compassionate conservative' appears to mean nothing very different from being a hardhearted, stingy, old-fashioned conservative."[27]
External videos | |
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Booknotes interview with Olasky on The Tragedy of American Compassion, January 22, 1995, C-SPAN |
Others on the left have viewed it as an effort to remove America's social safety net out of the hands of the government and give it to Christian churches. "Liberals make a big mistake if they dismiss 'compassionate conservatism' as just a hypocritical catch phrase", wrote
Conversely, the phrase has also been attacked from the right.
In 2006, conservative commentator Jonah Goldberg has written that compassionate conservatism as implemented by George W. Bush differs markedly from the theoretical concept: "As countless writers have noted in National Review over the last five years, most conservatives never really understood what compassionate conservatism was, beyond a convenient marketing slogan to attract swing voters. The reality—as even some members of the Bush team will sheepishly concede—is that there was nothing behind the curtain."[34] Similarly, conservative commentator Fred Barnes wrote: "Bush has famously defined himself as a compassionate conservative with a positive agenda. Almost by definition, this makes him a big government conservative."[35]
Decline
The phrase and the idea of compassionate conservativism declined after the Bush administration left office. In December 2011, Christian commentator
Other uses
United Kingdom
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Conservatism in the United Kingdom |
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According to a 2006 report by the British think tank Policy Exchange, "compassionate conservative" was "one of the most prominent themes" of the Conservative Party under David Cameron.[39] In speeches and the party's statement of aims and values around 2005 and 2006, Cameron and other senior Conservatives emphasized a "modern, compassionate conservatism" theme.[39] At the 2011 Conservative Party Conference, the party released a pamphlet titled Modern Compassionate Conservatism, which senior leaders such as Cameron and foreign secretary William Hague claimed had pushed for "compassionate" and "cuddly" policies.[40] In 2015, Michael Gove claimed David Cameron was "a modern, compassionate Conservative."[41] The "compassionate conservative" idea was supposed to be a way for the Conservatives to distance themselves from their "Nasty Party" image.[41]
Christian democracy
Political commentator Jane Louise Kandur has used the term "compassionate conservatism" to describe
See also
- Centre-right politics
- Bleeding-heart libertarianism
- Communitarianism
- Humanistic capitalism
- Free-market environmentalism
- One-nation conservatism
- Option for the poor
- Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
References
- ^ Olasky 2000, pp. xi–xii.
- ^ Olasky 2000, p. 1.
- ^ Watts 2010, pp. 257–258.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-978092-1.
- ^ "President George W. Bush on Compassionate Conservatism | Bush Center".
- ^ Young, Audrey (May 21, 2015). "Budget 2015: How it affects you". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on May 18, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
- ^ a b c Kandur, Jane Louise (October 7, 2016). "Christian Democrats and Muslim Democrats". Daily Sabah. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
- ^ a b Heywood 2012, p. 83.
- ^ The Compassionate Touch, Doug Wead, Bethany House, 1977.
- ^ Jacob Weisberg, The Bush Tragedy, Random House, 2008. Page 93.
- ^ The New York Times, July 23, 1981, p. 17.
- ^ The Courage of a Conservative, Simon & Schuster, 1985.
- ^ The New York Times, November 8, 1984.
- ^ The Christian Science Monitor, September 20, 1984, p. 19.
- ^ "George Bush: Where Does He Stand?", Doug Wead, Christian Herald, June 1986.
- ^ Jacob Weisberg, The Bush Tragedy, Random House, 2008. Page 92.
- ^ Doug Wead, Time for a Change, 1992.
- ^ Olasky, Martin, Renewing American Compassion, "God promises blessings for obedience, but never an all-expense paid vacation. Adam's work was not endlessly frustrating... That all changed with man's independent and rebellious grasping for the knowledge of good and evil. Man must now do tiring work to live." p. 169; "Lazy hands make a man poor." (quoting Proverbs); "If a man does not work, he shall not eat." (quoting Paul, Second Thessalonians).
- ^ "Opinion, Editorials, Columns, Op-Ed, Letters to the Editor, Commentary - Wall Street Journal - Wsj.com". Opinionjournal.com. October 3, 2002. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ Olasky, Renewing American Compassion, 64, 41
- ^ [1] Archived December 4, 2003, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Fact Sheet: Compassionate Conservatism". Georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ "'Compassionate Conservatism' Goes To War". Commondreams.org. Archived from the original on November 21, 2006. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
- ^ Nicholas Lemann, The Real Value of Jeb's "Unfortunate Comments", New Yorker (October 7, 2015).
- ^ Edwin Chen, Clinton Picks at Bush's 'Compassionate' Label Archived 2015-10-19 at the Wayback Machine, Los Angeles times (July 15, 1999).
- ^ "House of Commons Hansard Debates for 14 Dec 2005 (pt 3)". Publications.parliament.uk. December 14, 2005. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ "September 15, 2003". The Nation. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ [2] Archived October 18, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Compassionate conservatism". The New York Times. January 28, 2008. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ Krugman, Paul (October 12, 2007). "Busybodies". The New York Times. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ Digby (October 12, 2007). "Post Modern Serfdom". Hullabaloo.
- ^ John J. DiIulio, Jr., Godly Republic: A Centrist Blueprint for America's Faith-Based Future (University of California Press, 2007), pp. 85-86.
- ^ "Compassionate Conservatism Lost". Human Events. November 13, 2006. Archived from the original on February 17, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ Jonah Goldberg, Living in the Real World, National Review (March 13, 2006).
- ^ Fred Barnes, Big-Government Conservatism: How George W. Bush squares the fiscally expansive / conservative circle Archived 2015-10-02 at the Wayback Machine, The Wall Street Journal (August 15, 2003).
- ^ Jim Wallis, The Disappearance of the Compassionate Conservatives Archived 2012-01-31 at the Wayback Machine, Huffington Post (December 8, 2011).
- ^ a b Amy Sullivan, Column: Is compassionate conservatism dead? Archived 2016-03-22 at the Wayback Machine, USA Today (January 29, 2012).
- ^ Eugene Robinson, Where are the compassionate conservatives?, The Washington Post (September 15, 2011).
- ^ a b Jesse Norman & Janan Ganesh, Compassionate Conservatism: What It Is, Why We Need It Archived October 19, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Policy Exchange (2006).
- ^ Allegra Stratton, David Cameron: Tory party is 'modern and compassionate', The Guardian (October 2, 2011).
- ^ a b Sebastian Payne, Five things we learnt about compassionate conservatism from Michael Gove's speech, Spectator (March 13, 2015).
Bibliography
- Brooks, Arthur C. (2007). Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism -- America's Charity Divide--Who Gives, Who Do. United Kingdom: Hachette. ISBN 978-0-465-00365-5.
- Heywood, Andrew (2012). Political Ideologies: An Introduction. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-230-36994-8.
- Olasky, Marvin (2000). Compassionate Conservatism: What It Is, What It Does, and How It Can Transform America. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-743-20543-X.
- Watts, Duncan (2010). Dictionary of American Government and Politics. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 978-0-748-63502-3.