Columnist David MartinThroughout the Obama years it has been easy to look at the political right and think it's peopled by an overly negative lot. Indeed, tea party protests, incessant "repeal and replace" talk and a strong-willed Congress working to thwart the president at every turn doesn't give the aesthetic of cheer.
Conversely the left has been proud to look at themselves through a flowery lens as the political wing powered mainly by hope and optimism. And even if circumstances haven't always looked rainbow-and-unicorny - take for example last year's student protests at the University of Missouri or the destructive Baltimore riots - those chapters are given pardon since they are viewed as necessary means to ultimately push society toward a utopian destination.
My, how times have changed.
Now it's the left who's throwing tantrums in the street, shouting silly things like "He's not my president," with a worldview recently given over to a gloom-and-doom sentimentality. Just how bad is it over there? Apparently so bad that someone actually penned an op-ed in The Washington Post earlier this week titled, "Trump's election stole my desire to look for a partner." I promise I didn't make that up.
And the right? Even with Donald Trump's unconservative impulses worrying many (including yours truly), for the first time in nearly a decade the right appears visibly hopeful about the near term prospects for America.
A takeaway from this flip-flopping of fortunes is that we would be wise to refrain from gauging the spirit of a political wing by how it reacts to its most recent political standings. Instead, to catch a glimpse of their truest essence, perhaps we should let the fundamentals of their philosophies tell us about how they view the world and humanity in general.
If we do this, it's hard not to see much of the right as optimists.
Sure, in the 1950s, William F. Buckley Jr. made popular the image of conservatives as a people who "stand athwart history yelling stop." And it's quite true that before and since that's what most conservatives have aimed to do.
But as that "yelling stop" impulse has inspired conservatism's political arm for years, it's easy to misunderstand conservatism's fundamental mission. As my left-of-center friend once asked me, "Isn't the goal of conservatism to keep things unchanged?"
Well, sort of. While there are those preoccupied with matters like ensuring only certain folks can wed, politically speaking, conservatism's chief goal is quite simple: to have government function as the founders envisioned. Or, as I read somewhere recently, "to whir silently along in the background."
Yet it's not just small government for small government's sake. American conservatism is rooted in the desire to limit the growth of government as a way to safeguard individual freedoms and liberties. This is fueled by belief that individual citizens operating within a strong civil society can realize life to its fullest potential.
Talk about optimism and a faith in humanity.
On the other hand, the left tries to harness government in an attempt to control as much of the daily lives of Americans and American businesses as possible to ensure a better life for all. Why? Because at the root of modern American liberalism is the belief that without a parental government, humanity cannot be successful.
How's that for a bleak outlook?
That's why we've witnessed meltdowns in the streets. With the right controlling the Oval Office, Congress and the next Supreme Court pick, there's a strong chance the government safety blanket might be pulled back some, and the left is terrified of its fellow humans.
So tell me again, who's got the dim worldview?
Contact David Allen Martin at davidallenmartin423@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @DMart423.