A Thousand Points of Light

Back in 1988, George H.W. Bush gave a widely lauded speech, known as the "Thousand Points of Light" speech, in which he attempted to position Republicans not as selfish individualists, but rather as communitarians who valued old traditions and civic institutions over federal mandates and bureaucracies.  He won, by a lot. Here are his words at the time: 

And there is another tradition. And that’s the idea of community -- a beautiful word with a big meaning; though liberal democrats have an odd view of it. They see "community" as a limited cluster of interest groups, locked in odd conformity. And in this view, the country waits passive while Washington sets the rules. But that's not what community means -- not to me. For we’re a nation of community; of thousands and tens of thousands of ethnic, religious, social, business, labor union, neighborhood, regional and other organizations, all of them varied, voluntary and unique. This is America: the Knights of Columbus, the Grange, Hadassah, the Disabled American Veterans, the Order of Ahepa, the Business and Professional Women of America, the union hall, the Bible study group, LULAC, "Holy Name" -- a brilliant diversity spread like stars, like a thousand points of light in a broad and peaceful sky. Does government have a place? Yes. Government is part of the nation of communities -- not the whole, just a part. And I do not hate government. A government that remembers that the people are its master is a good and needed thing. And I respect old fashioned common sense, and have no great love, and I have no great love for the imaginings of social planners. I like what's been tested and found to be true.

David Brooks' column today, whether he realizes it or not, perfectly channels this sentiment:

If the Republicans are going to rebound, they will have to re-establish themselves as the party of civic order. First, they will have to stylistically decontaminate their brand. That means they will have to find a leader who is calm, prudent, reassuring and reasonable.

Then they will have to explain that there are two theories of civic order. There is the liberal theory, in which teams of experts draw up plans to engineer order wherever problems arise. And there is the more conservative vision in which government sets certain rules, but mostly empowers the complex web of institutions in which the market is embedded.

The Thousand Points of Light speech, as well as Brooks' column today, can be seen as a recognition of the SPAN world -- sustainable, personalized, authentic, networked.  The belief that federal bureaucrats do not have all of the answers and that top-down solutions rarely create real change are consistent with the SPAN values.  They are also consistent with traditional Republican values.

What does not resonate with most people today is the dog-eat-dog, angry, intolerant, unscientific, unrealistic attitude of the Rush Limbaugh Right.  Republicans have made it abundantly clear that they believe that the federal government can't solve problems.  But they haven't made it clear which groups can solve problems. 

If Republicans can convince us that problems can be solved by A Thousand Points of Light, or, in more modern terms, A Thousand Unique Networks, they might make inroads with the electorate.  But if they continue with the attitude of "the federal government can't help you, so no one can" they will continue to lose elections.