The Choice

If I had to to put the single, biggest difference between Democrats and Republicans into as few words as possible, I would struggle. The two sides are so far apart on so many issues that I could approach the question from a variety of angles. I have no doubt that many of these viewpoints are incredibly significant, and I’m not convinced it’s possible to make a claim for a single best answer.

Still, if I just had to do it, I think I’d go with some form of analysis concerning the divide that exists between the two groups on the topic of personal responsibility.

November isn't a choice between two politicians, it's a choice between two ideologies.

There is a reasonable argument to be made that just about every disagreement between the two core parties of the United States is connected to this one, broad difference of opinion.

The modern Democratic Party believes that it is largely the government’s responsibility to educate, provide, protect, bail out, and in many cases dictate the behavior of the masses.

The modern Republican Party believe that it is the individual’s personal responsibility to make choices related to those things, and then deal with the consequences, good or bad, individually.

And this is where the debate derails.

You see, there is something about individual autonomy that is fundamentally connected to America’s founding, regardless of political affiliation. Americans like to believe that no matter what challenge is presented, perseverance, hard work, and individualism can win the day. I doubt even the leftiest lefty would disagree with the proposition that all people at least “want” to believe this.

The situation gets sticky, however, because the left has taken two very specific stances concerning personal achievement:

1. They believe certain people groups are unable to overcome struggles due to historically rooted disadvantages that they believe still exist.

2. They believe that it is the government’s job to root out and destroy these alleged disadvantages by any means necessary.

There is no easy solution to the dilemmas created by the two sides’ drastically different views.

The right inherently believes that the majority of successful people rose above circumstance and achieved success, often but not always in spite of disadvantages.

The left inherently believes this isn’t possible for certain groups unless the federal and state government drastically alters current circumstances.

But who is right or wrong in this debate is less relevant than what this disagreement does to political discourse.

The question has never changed: What is the rightful role of a government?

People on the right don’t like it when the government meddles in the private affairs of citizens, regardless of the stated reason for doing so. They also don’t like it when they are blamed for issues that are rooted in the deep past, and were in no way caused by anyone living today.

This creates controversy because people on the left have taken the stance that sweeping government force is not just the best way to remove the historical roadblocks they believe still block the path to true equality, but the only way.

And that’s what voters will ultimately decide in 2022.

Moving forward, the amount of government interference in the lives of every day citizens is going to change. It’s either going to increase or decrease, it will not stay the same. This is because the leaders of the two major political parties have such incredibly different views on the subject. Each group will undoubtedly use whatever power is obtained over the next year to attempt to cement the agenda they support.

So voters need to ask themselves:

Do Americans want the government to have its fingers in the basic, everyday life issues of the average citizen – allegedly but historically not always in practice – for their benefit?

Or do they want citizens held responsible for their individual actions, with government doing its best to stay out of issues that can be solved at a more local level?

In November, the choice is yours.