“Small government” is the antithesis of the creeping authoritarianism that can be readily seen within the Republican Party
Republicans have claimed to favor “small government” for decades, but their policy positions contradict that assertion.
Ronald Reagan is often remembered for proclaiming that “Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem.”
Political Terminology
Colloquially, the expression “limited government” is frequently used interchangeably with “small government” — the concept that governments should levy as few taxes as possible and employ a minimal number of administrators. Although these notions are closely linked, a small government may not necessarily possess the necessary resources to safeguard public interests.
In the field of political science, the concept of “limited government” refers to a system in which legalized force is confined within the boundaries set by delegated and enumerated authorities. Countries that adhere to the principles of limited government tend to have a lesser number of laws that regulate the actions permissible to individuals and businesses. A significant number of countries employ a constitution as a means to articulate the powers and restrictions imposed on government authority.
The antithesis of a limited government is an interventionist or authoritarian government. Realistically, a majority of countries, even those characterized by a substantial degree of freedom and liberty, function with a certain degree of government control and intervention.
Republicans are generally not referring to the formal political science definition of “limited government” when they use the term, but rather the non-academic concept of “small government.”
The Republican definition of “small government” generally entails lower taxes, less government regulation, and more personal liberty.
Republican Policy
Republicans commonly express opposition towards social and welfare initiatives and government bailouts. However, peculiarly many Republican politicians tend to support bailouts for large corporations and banks.
Since the 2008 financial crisis, many academic studies have examined the impact of political interests and lobbying by special interest groups on financial legislation. Studies have shown that lobbying and campaign spending activities most likely affect policymaking concerning financial bailouts.
Although Republicans insist “big government” is the problem and “small government” is the solution, historically they have had no problem embracing “big government.”
For instance, Republicans have consistently supported the death penalty, legislation that restricts the civil liberties of LGBTQ individuals, and legislation that bans the right to a safe abortion.
Many Republican lawmakers still do not support the legalization of Cannabis, although it is slowly starting to change on that issue.
More recently, many red states have started banning books in state-funded institutions that acknowledge the existence of LGBTQ individuals or even issues regarding the history of racial inequality in America.
At least 12 red states banned state institutions from imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates and/or mask mandates. Some states even banned private companies from imposing protections as well.
“Small government” conservatism is directly counter to the idea that states would prescribe private businesses the scope of lawful actions that they are allowed to take part in to safeguard the well-being and security of their customers and employees.
In June 2023, Murfreesboro, a city in the red State of Tennessee, banned being gay in public. Murfreesboro’s “public decency” ordinance listed multiple “indecent” behaviors in the city code, including “homosexuality,” as well as “acts of masturbation” and “sexual intercourse.”
Opponents of the ordinance argued that it effectively prohibited the public display of homosexuality and exacerbated the issue of systemic prejudice against LGBTQ communities within a state that already had a tarnished reputation.
After the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued Murfreesboro on behalf of the Tennessee Equality Project (TEP), the city removed “homosexuality” from the indecent behaviors list within the ordinance.
Authoritarianism
Due to all of the policy positions previously noted, as well as the widespread dissemination of disinformation, the denial of lawful election results, and more, political scientists have determined that the Republican Party is increasingly becoming more authoritarian.
Political scientists also consider the GOP’s widespread voter suppression tactics and into the equation.
There exist various authoritarian regime types and numerous paths a state can take as it turns into one. In the United States, the imminent danger is the potential descent into what scholars refer to as “competitive authoritarianism,” which is a framework in which elections are still conducted, but under inherently unjust circumstances that consistently benefit a particular party. Competitive authoritarianism is a type of hybrid regime that lies somewhere between democracy and autocracy.
The Republic of Türkiye (Turkey) under the current rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a contemporary example of a competitive authoritarian regime.
Competitive authoritarian regimes bear a striking resemblance to a democratic system in theory, leading many of their citizens to mistakenly perceive that they are still in a democratic state.
Dr. Pippa Norris, a professor of political science at Harvard University, conducted the Global Party Survey in 2019. The survey polled almost 2000 political party experts globally and asked them to rate various political parties concerning the extent to which those parties are committed to fundamental democratic principles, as well as their commitment to safeguarding ethnic minority rights.
The study has discovered that the GOP stands as a major outlier when compared to conventional conservative parties in other affluent democracies.
The conclusion reached by these experts is unequivocal: The GOP stands as one of the top anti-democratic political parties in the developed world.
Perhaps Republicans simply use the “small government” rhetoric as an excuse for why they do not support policies that will materially help the average American.
In sum, the Republican Party is not the party of “small government.” It has become the party of extremism and authoritarianism.
Pertinent Book Recommendations
I recommend the following books in no order if you are interested in reading more work that analyzes aspects of the rise of authoritarianism within the Republican Party in more detail.
Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point Hardcover – September 12, 2023
Authors: Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt are both political scientists who teach at Harvard University.
The Conspiracy to End America: Five Ways My Old Party Is Driving Our Democracy to Autocracy Hardcover – September 12, 2023
Author: Stuart Stevens is a political consultant who was the top strategist for Senator Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign. He is a former Republican who is now registered as an independent. In 2020, he joined The Lincoln Project, which is a pro-democracy, anti-Trump conservative political action committee.
It's Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided with the New Politics of Extremism Paperback – April 5, 2016
Authors: Political Scientist Thomas E. Mann is a senior fellow in Governance Studies at The Brookings Institution. While Political Scientist Norman J. Ornstein is a senior fellow emeritus at the American Enterprise Institute.
Comments