#492 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Wednesday October 26)
Good morning,
THE GOOD OLD DAYS
Many people on the right long for the “good old days.” But they are selective in what they want to bring back from the good old days. There was a lot to be said for America in the 1950s. Some of it is worth bringing back, while some is best left in the rear view mirror. One thing it would be nice to bring back is the old Republican Party—a party that supported democracy, law and order, individual freedom, and responsible government. Here are excerpts from the party platform from the year of my birth. The party is hardly recognizable today:
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY PLATFORM OF 1956
General Principles
They invoked the Founders: “We give devoted homage to the Founding Fathers. They not only proclaimed that the freedom and rights of men came from the Creator and not from the State, but they provided safeguards to those freedoms.”
They quoted Abraham Lincoln: "The legitimate object of Government is to do for a community of people whatever they need to have done but cannot do at all, or cannot so well do, for themselves in their separate and individual capacities. But in all that people can individually do as well for themselves, Government ought not to interfere."
They quoted Dwight Eisenhower: "In all those things which deal with people, be liberal, be human. In all those things which deal with people's money, or their economy, or their form of government, be conservative."
They spoke of what we would call today a “liberal” doctrine of governing:
“We shall ever build anew, that our children and their children, without distinction because of race, creed or color, may know the blessings of our free land.”
“The individual is of supreme importance.”
“America does not prosper unless all Americans prosper.”
“Government must have a heart as well as a head.”
Ethics and Honesty
“We believe that basic to governmental integrity are unimpeachable ethical standards and irreproachable personal conduct by all people in government. We shall continue our insistence on honesty as an indispensable requirement of public service. We shall continue to root out corruption whenever and wherever it appears.” [emphasis added]
That’s a far cry from Mr. Trump’s appalling ethics, the fealty to Mr. Trump, the unwillingness to address the insurrection, and the overwhelming commitment to the “big lie” that Mr. Biden wasn’t elected President.
Social Services, Labor, and Equity
They supported the social contract and social safety net:
“We are proud of and shall continue our far-reaching and sound advances in matters of basic human needs—expansion of social security—broadened coverage in unemployment insurance —improved housing—and better health protection for all our people. We are determined that our government remain warmly responsive to the urgent social and economic problems of our people.” [emphasis added]
They pledged support of workers’ safety, equal pay and non-discrimination, unemployment insurance, minimum wage, pledging to:
“Continue and further perfect…assistance to the millions of workers with special employment problems, such as older workers, handicapped workers, members of minority groups, and migratory workers;
Assure equal pay for equal work regardless of Sex;
Clarify and strengthen the eight-hour laws for the benefit of workers who are subject to federal wage standards on Federal and Federally-assisted construction, and maintain and continue the vigorous administration of the Federal prevailing minimum wage law for public supply contracts;
Extend the protection of the Federal minimum wage laws to as many more workers as is possible and practicable;
Continue to fight for the elimination of discrimination in employment because of race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry or sex;
Revise and improve the Taft-Hartley Act so as to protect more effectively the rights of labor unions, management, the individual worker, and the public. The protection of the right of workers to organize into unions and to bargain collectively is the firm and permanent policy of the Eisenhower Administration.”
Balanced Budget, Economy and Taxes
They pledged sound economic policy and lower taxes for low and middle-income folks and equitable taxation. [emphasis added]
Education
They created the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. They attempted to address, through a Community-State-Federal effort, improvements in primary and secondary education.
Vaccines, Health and Housing
They supported mandatory polio vaccination, construction of hospitals, emphasizing low-cost care of chronic diseases and the special problems of older persons, and increased Federal aid for medical care of the needy. They supported low-rent public housing.
Civil Service
As opposed to Mr. Trump’s plan to gut the non-partisan civil service system through reclassification of thousands of civil servants and replace them with political partisans, their view in 1956 seems quaint: “We will vigorously promote, as we have in the past, a non-political career service under the merit system which will attract and retain able servants of the people. Many gains in this field, notably pay increases and a host of new benefits, have been achieved in their behalf in less than four years”.
Puerto Rico
They supported quick statehood for Alaska and Hawaii. As to Puerto Rico, “We shall continue to encourage the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico in its political growth and economic development in accordance with the wishes of its people and the fundamental principle of self-determination.”
District of Columbia
This quote hardly seems possible today: “We favor self-government, national suffrage and representation in the Congress of the United States for residents of the District of Columbia.” [emphasis added—emphatically!]
Equal Rights
They supported the Equal Rights Amendment.
Immigration
Then there’s immigration:
“The Republican Party supports an immigration policy which is in keeping with the traditions of America in providing a haven for oppressed peoples, and which is based on equality of treatment, freedom from implications of discrimination between racial, nationality and religious groups, and flexible enough to conform to changing needs and conditions. [emphasis added]
We believe that such a policy serves our self-interest, reflects our responsibility for world leadership and develops maximum cooperation with other nations in resolving problems in this area.”
Have a great day,
Glenn
From the archives: