The Republicans and
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
Republicans are long on theory; short on marketing their
ideas. It would be good for them to
revisit Maslow’s hierarchy of needs from time to time – it might be a valuable
wakeup call.
You remember the pyramid?
With the most fundamental physiological needs at the bottom, then safety
and security? Higher levels of that
pyramid – more “psychological” needs like love/belonging, self-esteem and confidence,
and self-actualization are important, but less so.
Basic needs are most important. This seems to be lost on Republican
policy-makers and those tasked with winning elections for Republicans.
Right now, Republicans too often focus on a 50,000-foot perspective
and on the very top of Maslow’s hierarchy – morality and self-actualization –
when they need to be closer to the ground and address fundamental needs.
If someone is out of work and looking for a job, they want a
job, not a discourse on the role of “job creators”; they don’t connect their
need for a job with giving tax breaks to businesses. Regulations may be hurting small businesses,
but the general public doesn’t see how that affects them directly – nor do they
see how reducing regulations will help them.
If people are having trouble paying for food, they want food prices to come
down, not a tax cut. And if gas prices
are killing them, they want something to bring gas prices down, not a long-term
plan for improving domestic energy security.
The same goes for ObamaCare – it is going to restrict freedom and access to the
best care, plus it’s already raising insurance rates. But the public wants to believe that somehow they’re going to get healthcare they
can afford, and insurance companies won’t be able to kick them out if they get really
sick, which seems like a pretty good thing to most.
Stable jobs, financial security and health fall into the two
most important – and fundamental – needs of Maslow’s hierarchy.
Yet Republicans addressed these … how?
Personal responsibility?
Restricting abortion? Reducing
burdensome regulations? Fighting
ObamaCare mandates on birth control coverage as an attack on religious
freedom? Promoting tax cuts? Reducing the Federal debt? Smaller government?
Who cares about these things if you don’t have a job, worry
about losing your job, or live in fear of being wiped out financially if you
get sick?
It’s been said that one reason America hasn’t been more successful
in third-world nations is that we consistently promote things that have little immediate
relevance. We offer things like hydroelectric
plants and democracy down the road, when what those people need is food, clean
water and safety right now. Yes, electricity
and democracy can lead – over time – to more food, cleaner water and greater
safety, but in the present you can’t eat electricity or democracy.
In much the same way, the Republican Party is pitching the wrong stuff for
today’s voters. Sure, the Republicans have
the right ideas about a lot of things, if you take a long view, especially when
it comes to limiting the reach of government, cutting spending, and the need
for people to be more focused on providing for themselves than relying on
government.
That said, Republicans will never win the culture wars. That ship has sailed. The
best they can hope for is to moderate its course to a more responsible
path. Gently.
The 1950s are gone; we’re never going to go back to Ward and
June Cleaver, Ozzie and Harriet, and the Waltons as family models. The nuclear family of Mom, Dad, Butch and Wendy
still exists but is becoming rarer. There
are more households headed by single parents than ever before, and more
children born to single mothers than ever before, too. People don’t go to church as often. Nor do they stay married as long. Promiscuity doesn’t bear the baggage it once
did. What used to be considered porn and
in bad taste is on cable TV. Hardly
anyone cares if someone is gay or not. Hispanics are on their way to being an ethnic majority. And white Christian males aren’t driving the
agenda anymore.
These are fundamental changes in America. You may not like all of them, but they are reality. You can either accept them and move on, or
fight them and lose.
Still, Republicans can win other more important wars. However, only if they win elections. With enough House and Senate seats it makes
little difference who the President is. If
Republicans want to cut the size of government, reduce profligate spending, wean
the public off entitlements, and get the economy under control, they must play
small-ball politics for a while.
By that I mean focusing on the base of Maslow’s
hierarchy. Address basic needs in a
meaningful way. It’s about real jobs,
with real paychecks, for doing real work.
It’s about making sure people have access to healthcare they can
afford. It’s about making people feel
safe and secure about their present, and their future.
Don’t fall on your sword for more tax cuts for everyone,
including the wealthy – not now – but try to hold the line where it’s
politically expedient on tax increases; there’s a difference.
And get real about immigration – recognize that’s there’s no
way in Hell we’re ever going to deport 12 million people, and if Republicans
don’t find a realistic path to citizenship for these folks, the Democrats will.
Do that and you can get the support you need for the big
things. But not until then.
No comments:
Post a Comment