Liberal Rhetoric 101: Compassionate Intentions (No results required)

For the most part, our Liberal Rhetoric 101 series was focused on moves by Activist Liberals.  This particular move is generally one by good-meaning Neighborhood Liberals. Unlike the rest of these liberal tactics, this is most often pushed by our Neighborhood Liberal friends. They mean well, they just miss out on the logic of the situation. Then the Activist Liberals use their well meaning (and easily manipulated) counterparts to push their plans.

Let me give you a classic example: Raising the minimum wage. I spent the last day having a debate with a liberal friend on Twitter who keeps arguing the point that raising the minimum wage somehow helps workers. While it is often bothersome to spend your time trying to explain Economics to a Neighborhood Liberal, it's also a fine showing into their logical thinking.

(Normally I'd insert the quotes from this person's argument. I'm not going to, mostly because I actually like this person. He means well. He seems like a good guy. Just blissfully unaware of the lack of positive results of liberalism.  We'll call him "Jeff.")

"Jeff" believes that raising  minimum wage helps workers because it "gives them a 30% wage increase." I'm paraphrasing "Jeff" here but that's the gist of the statement.

I've attempted to explain to "Jeff" that this 30% increase as only in nominal value and not real value. I further tried to tell "Jeff" about the reactions that predictably will occur when minimum wage increases like employers cutting down on hours for their employees as well as the increases that will follow in prices of such inflation-triggering products like food and gasoline (since grocery stores and gas stations pay their employees minimum wage) meaning that in short order, while the nominal value of a minimum wage paycheck will increase the real value will not.  "Jeff," bless his heart, responds with lovely platitudes about how employers "should want" to pay their employees more and essentially ignores the realities of real value and focuses on only nominal value. "Jeff" remains blissfully unaware of the realities.

"Jeff" means well. He doesn't bother looking for the results of liberal programs. All he knows is he wants to be compassionate and he believes the liberal platform is compassionate. "Jeff" believes liberal programs "help people" and that's all that matters. Results don't matter, because the liberal media sources "Jeff" consumes never discuss the results of those policies.

Too many Neighborhood Liberals fall into the same trap "Jeff" does. I have a friend, a pastor, who believes that liberalism is fulfilling the Christian mandate to care for the poor. (I've asked him time and again to show me the part where the Bible tells believers to give their money to the government and let the government care for the poor...he can't do it. Yet he can't wrap his head around the fact that Jesus told US to care for the poor DIRECTLY.)

It's difficult to reach these Neighborhood Liberals. They've been taught to think only on the compassionate intentions of liberal programs.  With Activist Liberals, our goal is to defeat them in the Arena of Ideas. With Neighborhood Liberals, our goal is to win them over.  It can be done. We must, however, ensure we are focused on showing them that conservatism is more compassionate in our results. It's a slow process, but with the Neighborhood Liberal it's a winnable battle.