Conservatism for Oklahoma's Second Century

June 01, 2007

The 2006 elections were a shock and a lesson to American conservatives, whose political strength has waned to pre-1994 levels.

In Oklahoma, although conservative legislative gains continued, a collapse of Republican strength in statewide races is illustrated simply. On election morning 2002, the ;P held six of the 11 elected statewide non-federal positions. On election night 2006, that number dropped to three, and today it is two.

There are many worthy ideas on how to recapture the trust of voters and offer a positive vision for the state?s future. Here are suggestions for Oklahoma?s ?next conservatism??not a laundry list, but one man?s ideas built on fundamentals. Some, perhaps most, of these will appeal even to those who do not consider themselves conservative.

Conservative ;vernance and Political Reform
Uplifting the common language, English, is a means to both cultural cohesion and limited ;vernment. There is nothing wrong, and much ;od, in the preservation of separate cultural and language traditions in churches, tribes, and ethnic organizations. But in the discourse of the law and shaping of the legal tradition, the language of the Founders and of the American system must be honored and preserved.

Having sketched the case for a practical form of unity, I believe Oklahoma should consider a political reform to promote diversity in political and policy choices. It is surprising that a state with Oklahoma?s populist tradition of support for the initiative and referendum is the nation?s most restrictive state in terms of ballot access for independent parties. The state Libertarian party has taken the lead, pushing for a more open system. Conservatives should consider giving them a hand.

Yes, Republican control of the Legislature has resulted in tax cuts, yet it hasn?t fundamentally restrained the growth of state spending (the 2007 session notwithstanding). Take a peak, online, at the OCPA ?Spend-O-Meter? documenting state ;vernment spending. It will make you dizzy.

There are welcome legislative efforts to limit and reduce taxes and to accelerate tax cuts. But the state income tax remains. It is a powerful and unwelcome levy restraining the growth of wealth and family retention of assets. In the long run, it has to ;.

On the spending side, state agencies actually controlled by Republicans?the Corporation Commission still and the Labor Department until recently?actually saw reductions in spending and personnel over much of the past decade. Which brings up another point: Conservative ;vernance is possible, but it requires the practice of conservatism. Establishing or sustaining conservative ;vernance requires voters and legislators who will elect and then support conservative executives. Limited ;vernment is possible, but only if professed conservatives limit ;vernment power and support those who actually ;vern in ways that restrain the power of ;vernment agencies.

Six years a; this fall, Oklahomans passed the historic right-to-work referendum affirming the power of private sector workers to control the fruits of their own labor. It took until 2004 for that popular verdict to gain full judicial sanction and force of law. Oklahoma has enjoyed job and wage growth, even leading the nation at times over the last two years.

Yet, feeding on the success of the broader economy, ;vernment sector unions are growing in clout. In the first four months of 2007, new city employee union activism had emerged in Edmond, Enid, Lawton, and Moore. Restraining ;vernment growth will require executives and administrators who understand that the growth of public sector unions will yield a steady upward bias in favor of increased spending.

Our Economy and Energy Sector
Most Oklahomans support the state?s vibrant energy sector, which has fed much of the recent economic success of the state. It?s not hard for most Oklahomans to be happy about the phenomenal recent success of the oil and gas industry. As it grows, so does the rest of our economy and ;vernment revenue. Support for this key state ?heritage industry? should be a no-brainer for us all, regardless of underlying political affiliation.

Yet, no one can deny the jolt of recent surges in energy prices. The pain is felt not only at the gas pump, but also in the prices of food products, manufactured ;ods, and everything consumers want and need. The pain is a direct reflection of market realities, not unfair market advantages. So, what?s to be done?

Tough times require tough choices, not bad choices. Oklahoma has already made some tough but wise choices: the private sector has redoubled efforts to find natural gas, and the ;vernment has positively incentivized the use of wind power to give some relief on the state?s power grid and grow the market.

Instead of the ?either/or? choice that Al ;re and other anta;nists present for energy policy, Oklahoma is uniquely positioned to promote both continued strength in the traditional energy sector and use of resources to advance environmentally friendly power sources like natural gas and wind power. We?ve ;t plenty of both.

Liberty and Justice for All
?Diversity? is an overused word these days, often used to mask controversial political agendas. Yet the word captures the sense that we all bring different views and assumptions when meeting at tables of ne;tiation in business or public life.

Diversity is perfectly compatible with ordered liberty and conservative ;vernance. A practical way for ;vernment policy to manifest respect for diversity and distinctiveness is to end ;vernment monopoly policies in the provision of public educational services.

In the April issue of Perspective I demonstrated that there is already a considerable degree of educational choice in Oklahoma and a great deal of public money flowing to private schools. But why not finish the job and empower parents and students fully to control their educational destiny? Home schools, public charter schools, private schools, public schools?shouldn?t the consumer, rather than the provider, be in charge of where the money ;es?

The late Edward L. Gaylord once scolded me, circa 1993, as I waxed indignant about the ?socialized medicine? in Hillary Clinton?s health care proposals. He said, ?Pat, we already have socialized medicine in America. The question is whether or not we can build into the system some market incentives to correct the excesses of ;vernment control.? Mr. Gaylord?s comment reflected a grand tradition: Conservatives are both principled and practical. Health care reform will require healthy portions of both.

To be sure, the steady pressure for more and more ;vernment provision of health insurance should raise conservative concern. ;vernment must be involved in finding ways to reduce the catastrophic number of uninsured Oklahomans. But how about greater efforts to provide vouchers or credits allowing individuals to choose for themselves high-deductible policies, or basic care policies like those in Tennessee?

Ways of Living
In a recent essay on ?The Next Conservatism,? my former colleagues Paul M. Weyrich and William S. Lind of the Free Congress Foundation called for reviving ?the dormant conservative agrarian tradition.? Many conservatives sneer at the cultural momentum behind organic farming, holistic medicines, and environmentally sensitive lifestyles. This dismissiveness is in part a response to the excesses of modern ?greens? and of global warming hysteria.

Well and ;od, yet the very term conservatives apply to ourselves implies conservation of the best elements in the culture and tradition we inherit. For more than a decade, I was involved in scouting, as a leader of both Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. While these organizations part company on some important current issues, they share a traditional view of conservation, reverence for the land, respect for nature, and a respectful view of the role of human beings in the natural order.

The next conservatism, in terms of the environment, should manifest stewardship not in other-worldly computer models or angst-ridden expressions of collective guilt, but in practical and methodical programs to restore the land, to camp and ?leave no trace,? to revere the positive traditions of Native cultures and leaders, to live, eat and play in ways that uplift ;d?s way.

Conservatives reject ideological formulas and incline instead toward the practical and the humane. As Weyrich and Lind put it, ?While environmentalism is becoming an ideology, conservation and care in the use of ;d?s creation have long-standing conservative credentials.? And, ?agriculture has always been a conservative culture.? This is another Oklahoma ?heritage industry? that deserves every practical conservative means of support.

Political efforts to defend innocent human life and traditional morality have already lasted for most of my adult life. It is clear that these struggles will not soon be resolved in the political or policy arenas, yet they must be sustained. As conservatives contend with adversaries, they should understand that the fight cannot be limited to positive law.

Syndicated columnist Cal Thomas, who spoke at OCPA?s annual dinner in 1999, has long argued that contemporary conservatism is afflicted by an over-reliance on political action and public policy. Whether or not one agrees with his particular substantive critiques, he has a point.

Weyrich and Lind posit that the next American conservatism is, fundamentally, ?a growing coalition of people who are committed to living differently.? These are people who ?look beyond politics to lives well lived in the old ways, as lamps for their neighbors? footsteps, as harbingers of a world restored, and as testimonies to the only safe form of power, the power of example.?

The hatred and vitriol that have characterized recent Republican primaries and intra-party fights are unworthy in the party of Ronald Reagan. His 11th Commandment?to speak no ill of thy fellow conservative?is more honored in rhetoric than in reality. Political operatives and politicians have for years acted in bold contradiction to Reagan?s effective ?law? of political discourse. As a matter of principle, this is corrosive of the polity. As a practical political matter, the result in statewide elections speaks for itself.

Conservatives should provide an example in both policy and politics that is worthy of the American tradition. Such an example might help us all?liberal, conservative and other?find betters ways to live and work together.

Patrick McGuigan (M.A. in history, Oklahoma State University) is newspaper manager at The MidCity Advocate, an Oklahoma City weekly. He spent 10 years at the Free Congress Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, D.C., and is the author of (among other books) Ninth Justice: The Fight for Bork.

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