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Political realignment is sending "socially liberal, fiscally conservative" cocktail party Republicans into the Democratic Party and the more racially diverse working-class Democratic base into the GOP. This means a radical shift for the politics of "big government"New American Compass polling shows the GOP consultant class's anti-government ethos no longer has any purchase with the GOP base (if it ever did). Republicans believe government can solve problems and generally want to see it doing more, even at the federal level. For instance:
Most Americans believe government should be doing "more of some things and less of others" and that "in some situations, government policies and programs will be helpful, in others they will be unhelpful." Republicans differ little from Democrats.
You may think, "these are silly questions, of course people choose the reasonable, moderate middle ground." That's the point: Republicans are "reasonable, moderate middle ground" on size/role of government, not slash-and-burn radicals like many who claim to speak for them.
What in particular do Republicans want government to do the same or even more of? Well... pretty much all its major activities. Safety net, entitlements, even federal health care spending -- by two-to-one, Republicans say "do more" over "do less."
Of course, government isn't free and, when asked about taxes and spending in combination, Republicans are more likely to opt for "lower taxes, less government." But even then, at the federal level, it's only 61%. At state and local levels, it's not even a majority view.
Speaking of the state and local level, Republicans are more likely to agree than disagree that those governments perform their most important tasks well, act with honesty and integrity, treat people fairly and with courtesy, and make their life better.
In summary, blanket skepticism about government's role, attacks on redistribution, calling Social Security a disaster -- this approach does not resonate with any meaningful political coalition in the United States.
That's a political point, but also a substantive one...
People in the real world who actually experience government and its effects simply do not agree with the Professional Conservative view that government makes their lives worse, cannot solve problems, and must be shrunk. They are an authority worth consulting on the matter!
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https://americancompass.org/the-american-appetite-for-government/📎 Oren Cass