"Politics is the art of achieving the maximum amount of freedom for individuals that is consistent with the maintenance of social order."
Barry Goldwater
Liberals have no trouble agreeing with Goldwater, whose statement expresses goals shared by anyone desiring to live in a successful society. Within this setting is room for debate and trial-and-error, room for change depending on changing circumstances, room for honest, reasonable give-and-take. Still, politics being practiced by human beings, opportunists on all sides will push beyond these widely tolerant bounds, and there is ample evidence that Goldwater's party has been led astray from his ideal by opportunists within its ranks. Functioning societies require people from all sides to respect the needs and opinions of all individuals, and the success of individuals depends on a functioning social order. The party now in control of government at the national level and in most states is determined to dismantle the social order, at the same time allowing individuals who own most of the country to acquire the rest of it. Everyone else will depend on the corporate state for whatever the state allows, under the state's supervision. Economic and social democracy will disappear, rendering political democracy a useless sideshow. In a society dominated by a corporate social order, the individual has no import whatever.
Theoretically, we will be freed to achieve our maximum potential with no restraints, but in reality we must compete in a thoroughly rigged game. Few conservatives are willing to look at how badly disfigured the modern political scene has become, and for good reason: American politics over the last half century has held that winning is the only worthwhile goal. Those who argue for honest political dialogue are scoffed at as being hopelessly naive. Politicians who want to eliminate the admittedly flawed yet popular healthcare plan we now have no longer even meet their voters to discuss the issue. They are going to do this, end of debate. Beyond that a few conservative writers have spoken out against the words and deeds of Donald Trump. A few Republican politicians have floated occasional arguments against certain policies. But overall the "conservatives" are now firmly committed to a corporate social order that seeks maximum freedom for those individuals who control the corporations, leaving the rest of us with whatever crumbs the corporate rulers choose to drop. Nothing will remain of the social order except police and military--existing only to serve those who run the corporate state. Never mind the high talk about rugged individualism and concern for the working man. The reality has become the corporate state, and the party of Goldwater means to keep it that way. Oh, well, at least they are anti-communist, and they will let everyone--even psychopaths--acquire more guns.
A large body of work (including my own) exists which tries to explain how our country arrived at this frightening place in history. A flood of information and entertainment, along with individual isolation, perceived hidden enemies, and personal helplessness--contribute to what we have today: a corporate state that is seizing total control...by Mussolini's terms, fascism. The modern Republican party has gradually surrendered the simple goal expressed by Goldwater, and taken power for the wealthy elite. Conservative principles have been abandoned.
On the liberal side, the renewed protest movement has inspired renewal of hope and energy out of defeat. If it can be sustained, the resistance could bring about positive changes, restoring a balance of individual freedom and social order. The changes will take time; the entrenched corporate state will use its vast resources to retain power (regardless of who is nominally in charge) and the supporters of the corporate state are not likely to be converted. We will be better served by efforts to keep the resistance alive, perhaps to convince non-participants that they can make a difference. In addition to fighting in court the efforts of some state government to gerrymander and to restrict voters, progressives could help themselves by getting people registered and to the polls, despite efforts by corporate politicians to rig elections. It would help too if liberals enthusiastically push initiatives like single-payer healthcare, maternity leave, job programs to rebuild infrastructure, minimum wage increase, and progressive taxation, among others--programs that not only will enhance life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but which are popular with most Americans.
It is up to liberals, who apparently are the only "conservatives" left, to restore a culture that practices Goldwater's ideals. It is no longer effective to hold the lines against further elimination of the welfare state, against strengthening the corporate state. Neither will we find any lasting success by pointing out the hazards and flaws of the cult of the personality. A well-maintained social order that protects individual freedom has virtually ceased to exist in the United States of America. If we would restore it, we must be ready to peacefully fight a long battle, with stakes as high as they are in any war.
