With False Compare

In the July 7, 2009, edition of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, guest columnist Steve Maxwell criticizes the critics of “President Obama’s efforts to stabilize our economy” (Mr. Maxwell’s terminology). He argues that the majority of Americans actually want a larger government—a government that will take more responsibility for food and pharmaceutical safety, healthcare, education, financial institutions, and acceptable toothpaste flavors (all right, I made up that last one...).

Mr. Maxwell is chairman of the Tarrant County (Texas) Democratic Party; as a conservative, I disagree with almost everything that he says. But I give him credit for his tone, which manages to sound mostly civil and rational...until the next-to-last paragraph, when he writes:

If the folks who claim to want a country with limited federal government would take a look at a country like Somalia, they will see what the absence of a strong and effective central governing system can be like.

I don’t know much about Somalia, but I may know more than Mr. Maxwell does (even though I’ve only scanned a Wikipedia article). Somalia’s history is long and complex, and includes a large cast of characters: tribal factions, Italian fascists, Ethiopians, Soviet-influenced revolutionary communists, and champions of democracy... to name a few. I wish I could summarize Somalia’s difficulties, challenges, struggles and heartaches in a few pithy sentences, but I can’t. Suffice it to say, though, that Somalia’s history bears little resemblance to that of the United States. An American-style limited central government has never been and never will be the same thing as anarchy. So much for Mr. Maxwell’s rational-sounding argument.

Unfortunately, it’s not only liberals who use unsupported comparisons. It’s all too easy to compare the philosophies and policies of the American left to those of Marx... or Stalin... or Mao Tse Tung... or Fidel Castro. We learn from history that certain sentiments or crises or philosophies can create the conditions for a revolution or a dictatorship. But we should also learn that nothing ever happens exactly the same way twice.

When we argue with those who disagree with us, inflammatory comparisons don’t help our case. It’s too easy to say: “X is another Stalin, and this country is on its way to becoming another Soviet Union!” But if America did become a socialist state, it would still be nothing like the Soviet Union. (Who knows? It might even be worse...) Of course we can talk about historical events and trends—but only when we know all the facts, and only when we can admit that any parallel or comparison will never be exact.

Shakespeare once wrote of a lady of unconventional beauty:

And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.

As I write about politics, I’ll keep this in mind... and try to avoid those false, unsupported comparisons (positive or negative) that only alienate those whom I hope to convince.

Elaine