President of the Economy

The issue Obama and Romney got wrong

What is the end, or purpose, of government? Is it to deliver jobs, housing, and comfort to its citizens? Or should government stay out of delivering material benefits and focus on maximizing the liberty of citizens? In “President of the Economy,” Professor David Corbin and Professor Matthew Parks argue that both President Obama and former presidential hopeful Mitt Romney fundamentally misunderstand the role of government.

The belief that government ought to focus primarily on expanding the liberty of its people is not new. “For most of our history,” the authors write, “the American people have understood that while prosperity and military might may be the fruits of liberty, they are not the ‘direct end of government…’”

During his campaign, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney had the opportunity to argue for freedom. Instead, Corbin and Parks point out, “Mitt Romney abandoned this argument in order to run a non-ideological campaign—with disastrous electoral results.” Instead of championing liberty, Romney staked his election bid on the claim that he could deliver benefits to the American people better than Obama. The results were disastrous.

For Republicans to regain the white house, the authors write, Republicans must argue for “freedom first.”

Read the full article on First Things.

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