Folks,
I'm going to attend an Aspen Institute seminar in a couple of weeks, so
I've been reading the source materials, and an intriguing thought
occurred to me. I'd like to see this group's reaction to it.
In "American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the
Republic", Joseph J. Ellis writes:
"There were really two founding moments: the first in 1776,
which declared American independence, and the second in 1787-88,
which declared American nationhood. The Declaration of
Independence is the seminal document in the first instance, the
Constitution in the second.The former is a radical document that
locates sovereignty in the individual and depicts government as
an alien force, making rebellion against it a natural act. The
latter is a conservative document that locates sovereignty in
that collective called "the people," makes government an
essential protector of liberty rather than its enemy, and values
social balance over personal liberation."
It occurred to me that this view of the Declaration of Independence,
with its focus on individual sovereignty standing against an "alien"
government, is at the core of contemporary (neo-)conservatism, while
this view of the Constitution, with its focus on government as
representing the collective will of "the people", is at the core of
contemporary liberalism (Ellis's application of the word "radical" to
the Declaration and "conservative" to the Constitution
notwithstanding).
I was amazed how (at least Ellis's depiction of) each document
represents one of the ends of the current political spectrum, and
wondered if there is not, in this observation, the seed of an idea to
bring these polar opposites together, not that I know what manner of
seed it is, at this point: this is no more than an observation whose
full development to date is represented in this email, but it warrants
further consideration and discussion.
Conservatives and liberals alike claim to be the true heirs and
defenders of the Constitution: touting its assertion of the right to
keep and bear arms and its minimization of the federal, for example, on
one side, and freedom of (and especially from) religion and protection
of minorities from the overwhelming will of the majority, for example,
on the other.
Similarly, liberals and conservatives alike seek to "reclaim" their
concept of founders' intent as enshrined in the Constitution, especially
in light of the excesses (as acknowledged by both left and right) of
the current administration. But liberals especially embrace the way the
constitution formalizes and endorses communal action through government
for the benefit of the people.
On the other hand, liberals might embrace the Declaration's radical
spirit of "throwing off the shackles of the old guard grip on power",
but it seems to represent conservatives' longing to "throw the bums out"
and declare independence from the overweening arrogance of wasteful
bureaucracy.
What do you think?
Dave
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