What a fabulous book! If I disagree with Norquist on anything it is his rough dismissal of social conservative issues towards the end of the book. However, I understand his emphasis on economic issues and their rough correlation with social conservative issues. That is, if you look at all economic conservatives in the Republican party, they will also include almost all of the social conservatives and some of those who are more liberal on social issues. So, we get more voters to help us win our issues with economics. This ignores the reality that for social conservatives, some issues are so vital that sitting home or creating a new party would be better alternatives than letting them slip out of the public debate.
In any case, that is a minor part of this very helpful and interesting book. Norquist lays out his case quite well. He divides the 21 chapters of the book into five parts and build his case line by line and layer upon layer. Part I discusses what he calls the two competing coalitions - the "Leave Us Alone Coalition" and the "Takings Coalition". He carefully avoids the familiar, but too ideologically freighted terms of left-right, or socialist-capitalist. He describes what each of the coalitions is after and what the methods are. You will recognize them right away and notice that one of them uses the Republican Part and the other the Democrat Party. However, it would be a real mistake to associate the parties as being identical with the coalitions. Parties change their issues in a struggle to win, coalitions fight for their purposes and to make their ideas important enough to win elections and hence gain the support of a party.
Part II is covers one hundred pages in eleven chapters examining the political trends for the future. Norquist lays out an argument that shows an advantage for the Leave Us Alone Coalition. More people have their retirement money invested in businesses and are therefore more connected to more pro-business and lower tax policies. He also shows the decline of labor unions (except in the powerful government based and education based unions) as a decline of ready made funds and workers for The Takings Coalition. The Card Check proposal is a dangerous anti-democratic method for the Unions to re-gain membership and power. It should be opposed. The birthrates of the two coalitions are quite different. The Leave Us Alone folks have more kids than the Takings people. The trend is therefore in favor of one with increasing numbers, unless the Takings people can convert them (misusing our schools and colleges as recruitment and indoctrination centers - hence the rise in home schooling). A trend against the Leave Us Alone group is the reduction in the numbers of hunters. However, the rise in gun ownership and right to carry states compensates somewhat.
One way to look at the differences between the groups is whether you are comfortable with America creating its own future and going its own way or whether you think that becoming more like Europe is a better approach for the future. As more and more people come to work for the government (and receive, on average, higher pay and greater benefits than those being taxed to pay for them), the Takings Coalition has a growing built in support group. Not only those working for the government, but those who depend on the government for their business, their contracts, and their industries are more likely to support the Takings folks. Norquist also talks about the trends in religious groups. Those that are largely conservative in outlook continue to grow while those who are more liberal in their religious outlook tend to be shrinking. The author also shows us how the new media has diminished the power of what used to be the big 3 networks and the major newspapers.
Part III talks about "The Battleground"
Business is always seen as conservative, but it isn't so. Yes, some businesses are strictly conservative and capitalistic. However, others seek government support to protect their own revenues and to shut out competition. These are hardly conservative and are really in the camp of the Takings Coalition. The third group seeks to influence the government by buying access and paying what amounts to protection money to keep the Takings people off there back as much as possible. One evidence of the this trend is how much governments pay to the party in power and how much they give to the party out of power. Business does tend to favor party representing the Leave Us Alone policies, however, even the Takings folks get more donations from business when they hold the majority in a legislative body.
I like the way Norquist talks about gypsies in terms of those whom you will not talk to because you think they won't vote for you. Well, if you won't talk to them they surely won't vote for you! The Republicans certainly have this problem with the Black vote and to a lesser extent with the Hispanic vote. Norquist provides some reasons the GOP should try to win a bigger share of those votes and how to go about doing it.
Norquist believes that if the GOP were smarter and more dedicated to actually winning and governing they should be able to get beyond a 60 vote veto proof majority. If the Leave Us Along Coalition could get a majority in the house and this veto proof super-majority in the Senate, it should be able to have its way regardless of the President and the occupant of the White House would then become less important. Nice thoughts. We shall see. He also talks about the importance of the individual states and getting control of as many of the legislatures as possible. Those that have lowered taxes and governed as Leave Us Alone governments have out competed the Takings oriented states. Eventually, this will become so apparent and so undeniable, that it might even spread more compellingly to the national government.
Part IV talks about why Republicans should never ever raise taxes under any circumstances. Norquist exposes the lies of both parties when they talk about the problem of deficits, but for opposite reasons. He provides a list of important tax reforms and how to go about achieving them. The eventual goal is to give the government only one bite at our money, when we earn it, and then leave us alone. I like it.
Part V discusses the two most important issues: actually, really, and honestly controlling spending. He notes that this cannot be done until after we get the discipline to not raise taxes. Then he proposes five great reforms. 1) Make all pensions individually owned and portable (including government employee pensions and social security). 2) Make health insurance individually owned and control costs through competition. 3) Give parents real choice in education. 4) Competitive outsourcing of government work. 5) Transparency. To these I say, "Hear! Hear!" and "Amen and Amen!" They would gut the Takings Coalition and give government control back to us, where it belongs, so we can limit it and bound its reach into our lives.
A terrific book I wish EVERYONE would read and consider seriously.
Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI
