Republican Market Opportunity: The Cities
The best way to revive a sagging company is to look for new market opportunities and seize them. Which is why the Republican party needs to take on the cities. We've all enjoyed daydreaming about John Yoo, Mayor of Oakland -- I wish he'd get the hint and really run for the office -- but the larger point is: cities are where the people are; cities are where our people (Asian and Hispanic business types) are; cities are where liberalism has not only failed, but failed specularly and with tragic human cost.
What would revitalize Detroit? Only one thing: conservative philosophy.
And the market is there. For one thing, in the cage-match-to-the-death between public sector unions and Democratic mayors, someone is going to go down. From Reason:
The [Chicago teacher's] strike’s lasting damage was to the party that since at least the early 20th century has been labor’s best friend. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is not just some schmuck in the donkey party: He is President Barack Obama’s former chief of staff, the congressional leader behind the Democrats’ 2006 House takeover, a Clinton administration arm twister so feared that he is still known by his ’90s nickname, Rahmbo.
But the strike made Chicago’s tough-guy mayor look like Chuck “Bayonne Bleeder” Wepner. Striking teachers dubbed him “Empermanuel,” accused him of having “no respect for us as people,” and even claimed (falsely, it turned out) that Emanuel was a fan of the Canadian alt-rock quartet Nickelback. When the teachers returned to work after more than a week on the picket line, they had scored a big pay increase and crippled the teacher-evaluation testing at the heart of the strike, a resolution Emanuel unconvincingly called an “honest compromise.”
And it's happening in Los Angeles, too, under the hapless public union court eunuch Antonio Villaraigosa:
After years of dire and deteriorating finances (L.A.’s budget hasn’t been balanced for four years), the mayor allows government employee unions to carry out their tactic of ensuring that any slowdown in the rate of spending increases is immediately visible to Angelenos in the form of cuts to services. Villaraigosa, whose city manager calls for taxes on real estate sales, entertainment, petroleum extraction, and parking lot revenues, seems to believe voters will respond to office-hour reductions and crossing guard–free intersections by demanding tax hikes.
Never interrupt an enemy in the process of destroying itself:
Rather than offering concessions to Emanuel, Villaraigosa, and other cash-strapped executives, unions have decided to go down swinging. They may be right to see compromise as death. But make no mistake: Laborgeddon is upon us, and it will have long-term consequences for the Democrats.
As Godzilla and Mothra attack each other, there's going to be a lot of extra energy out there for a second look at conservative policies.
We should be ready to fight. We've given up the cities for too long.
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Jan '11
Re: Republican Market Opportunity: The Cities
"The best way to revive a sagging company is to look for new market opportunities and seize them."
No, Mr. Long, not necessarily. It depends on your company -- try to seize all the new markets and opportunities you want, and if your management/personnel is ineffective, your product has a problematic reputation in the marketplace, and there are 20 other serious, foundational issues, you'll see a tiny sales/revenue bump and no long-term improvement.
The opening line makes for a cute argument -- onward, Republican soldiers, to the gates of every city in America! -- but throwing the same poorly-crafted product, marketed badly to a population that sees the brand as damaged, isn't what causes a revival. Getting your own house in order and running efficiently, defining a direction clearly, creating a mechanism and stream to communicate all of that effectively -- that all comes first.
Ready to fight? Given up on cities for too long? Completely agree with both -- but we need to re-organize, re-structure and train first. Then we just might win.
Apr '11
Re: Republican Market Opportunity: The Cities
When I think about Republican attempts to woo cities I am immediately reminded of Jack Kemp and enterprise zones. Why did they not work?
Sep '12
Re: Republican Market Opportunity: The Cities
In one respect enterprise zones are like communism, they've never really been tried. Practically, it's a promise of economic development (jobs, growth, etc) premised on what we know works, but what works has an awful long lead time. They were also intended to be part of a larger package. Sadly, not very many chose to champion those reforms and much of the interest faded when Clinton was elected.
Aug '12
Re: Republican Market Opportunity: The Cities
It's not a perfect analog, but I do think it would be beneficial to look at what evangelical Christianity has done to reach out to cities within the past 10 years or so.
Some of the tactics are quite different. Much of the focus is on serving the poor and needy within the city. (Not that it would be a bad idea for republican and conservative groups to be serving the poor, and to be seen serving the poor through private charity)
However we could learn something from the over-all shift in attitude and approaches towards cities.
Tim Keller's numerous writings on city outreach are quite informative and often universally applicable.
Edited on November 24, 2012 at 7:14pmJan '11
Re: Republican Market Opportunity: The Cities
It's predictable, though, isn't it? Like the story of two friends being chased by a bear, and one puts on sneakers. The other laughs and says, "you can't outrun a bear." To which the fist replies, "I don't have to outrun the bear. I only have to outrun you."
I think the unions have calculated that we're all going to be economically rescued or (more likely) we're all going down anyway. In either case, it's better to maximize your take, and not surrender an inch, because cooperation and sharing won't win or lose the game.
So long as the liberal, Democrat model continues to ignore the power and necessity of growth, their governance will always be overwhelmed by too few resources and ever-expanding services.
The economic secret of conservatism is growth, and it's the one thing the Democrats can't bring themselves to offer, because government can't offer growth. The private sector can. So long as the Democrat Party is chained to government and not the private sector, they can't afford to admit that the solution lies outside of government.
Aug '12
Re: Republican Market Opportunity: The Cities
Tim Keller (http://www.outreachmagazine.com/people/4932-tim-keller-a-vision-to-reach-the-city.html)
Re: Republican Market Opportunity: The Cities
Interesting, and perhaps hopeful, that this article should appear on the same day as yours: States, Cities Demand Say on Fiscal Cliff
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/states-cities-fiscal-cliff/2012/11/24/id/465225
Re: Republican Market Opportunity: The Cities
Steven M.: It's not a perfect analog, but I do think it would be beneficial to look at what evangelical Christianity has done to reach out to cities within the past 10 years or so.
Some of the tactics are quite different. Much of the focus is on serving the poor and needy within the city. (Not that it would be a bad idea for republican and conservative groups to be serving the poor, and to be seen serving the poor through private charity)
However we could learn something from the over-all shift in attitude and approaches towards cities.
Tim Keller's numerous writings on city outreach are quite informative and often universally applicable. · 20 minutes ago
Edited 19 minutes ago
I think this is exactly the kind of thing Republicans should be looking at and modeling themselves on. Look, it's uphill for us -- we're going to have to win hearts and minds. Who does that best? Who is the market leader in hearts and minds?
Mar '11
Re: Republican Market Opportunity: The Cities
Rob, pleasure meeting you on the NR Cruise.
I agree the conditions are getting riper and riper for some kind of conservative intervention in cities. The main problem we'll run into is convincing these people the current way of doing business can't go on forever. Right now, their faith that everything we'll "work out" borders on religious fanaticism.
That's why the message we bring will have to be simple and honest. We start talking about enterprise zones and they'll tune us out in seconds. We'll have to keep it to Conservatism 101 and not some higher level course.
The main point needing to be delivered: lower tax rates and regulation on everyone and the normal functioning of a city can coexist. In addition, we must show them in a step-by-step manner where their current ideas will eventually lead: bankruptcy.
Furthermore, we may ask voters for some mercy. Something like, "give us 5 years. If you don't like it, if we don't come through, you can go back to your way." Because if it descends into some regular conservative/liberal battle, we'll lose because we'll be on their turf.
Jan '11
Re: Republican Market Opportunity: The Cities
Hate admitting it, but the environmentalist movement -- in 2012, there's not a close second. They've sold a mindset that convinces each person that they're engaging on the right side of a moral battle and that doing so makes them a good person.
They've taken a scientific issue and made it into a moral issue with outrageous success -- you're a good person if you recycle everything or oppose fracking, you're a bad, selfish, uncaring person if you don't. They have a clear message delivered in a way that taps both heart and mind while playing on our desires to live well and embody goodness (not just in our own minds, but 'good' as we appear to others).
It's the new church/religion of 2012 for a reason.
Rob Long
Who does that best? Who is the market leader in hearts and minds? · 5 minutes ago
Aug '10
Re: Republican Market Opportunity: The Cities
In other words, "We need more Ron Swanson's and fewer Rahm Emanuel's!" Sing it, oh sing it!
Mar '12
Re: Republican Market Opportunity: The Cities
Before one can revive a city in decline, it has to hit bottom and the residents have to realize they have hit bottom.
I live near Detroit and while the city is near the bottom, the residents still haven't been willing to accept that they cannot revive the city without outside help. The city council just voted down a requirement to obtain funding from the state, even though the city will run out of cash by year end.
Denial isn't just a river in Egypt.
Aug '10
Re: Republican Market Opportunity: The Cities
EconTalk recently did a podcast on the geography of voting. The short version is that mere residential density is enough to create conditions that leftists and Democrats (but I repeat myself!) thrive in politically.
There is fascinating possibility implied, that the solution may be to physically break up the footprint of cities. When urban renewal comes around, the tendency is to re-build buildings along the exact outlines of the old, which perpetuates the voting patterns of the residents. If conservatives want a "sneaky" way to change the way cities vote, they could start by changing the physical structure of the cities over time through a series of development projects.
The benefit is that it completely side-steps the distortion that mainstream media would apply to any city-friendly outreach message. The downside is that it involves billions of dollars in development projects decentralized across many companies, which the Republicans can not claim direct credit for once the residents start feeling its benefits.
Nov '10
Re: Republican Market Opportunity: The Cities
Matthew K. Tabor: They've taken a scientific issue and made it into a moral issue with outrageous success -- you're a good person if you recycle everything or oppose fracking, you're a bad, selfish, uncaring person if you don't.
36 minutes ago
You're absolutely right about the wildly successful environmental movement, although I'd say that this is a subset of the broader accepted narrative: Even when they're wrong, liberals mean well, whereas even when they're right, conservatives are mean. Until we can deconstruct that broader "truth," we're fighting a losing battle.
On cities: I think that there's something about city life that sort of feeds the big-government, collectivist mindset. Look at *every* electoral map: It isn't just low-income folks and/or minorities who vote deep blue. I think that for a variety of reasons, city dwellers tend to be collectivists.
(I'm a suburban girl born and raised, hypothesizing from almost total ignorance of city life. I could be completely wrong on this point.)
Jul '12
Re: Republican Market Opportunity: The Cities
The cities will always be difficult for Republicans because they house masses of people who can't rise above dependency, near-dependency, wage-slavery, wage-slavery with great benefits and automatic pay hikes (i.e. government jobs), and newspapers who feed these masses a steady diet of intellectual pap.
The other day I picked up the Boston Globe and read it with my coffee. It didn't take longer than that. Here it is the leading newspaper in the leading city in New England (home to more colleges than any other city) and the paper offers only simplistic coverage of the news and outrageous Leftist propaganda on the editorial page. They cover sports with much more effort and comprehensiveness.
To the people of Boston, what the Globe says is what they should think. And so it is in one of America's most educated cities.
Sep '10
Re: Republican Market Opportunity: The Cities
I'll say "amen" to BlueAnt and Layla: the geography of political thought seems to be an almost unbending natural law. At all times (last 100 years) and everywhere (the developed world, anyway), the city culture engenders a collectivist, government-centered mindset. And the rural/suburban environment lends itself to self-sufficiency and conservative thought.
Sorry, Rob. I think this is a brick wall to either smash the conservative movement against, or to go around and avoid completely.
Jul '12
Re: Republican Market Opportunity: The Cities
Yes, I'm still sulking (a step up from pouting, I'll have you know) but it just seems impossible. We have a comatose citizenry who just wants problems to go away, and will pull the switch for whoever makes them feel that way. The unfair and invincible ire that minorities direct toward Republicans is fed every single stinking day by the opposition, and these people, voting in blocs, control every city in America. Social issues that ought to have nothing to do with politicians are invariably shoved to center stage by Democrats who have nothing else--and they win on them.
I just don't see it. It's going to have to get much, much worse before it gets better, and by then it may really be too late.
Apr '11
Re: Republican Market Opportunity: The Cities
The overwhelming majority of the people living in cities are quite happy to have the Democrats and the public sector unions run things and give them free stuff. They are not looking for alternatives and any problems in their cities they will instinctively blame on Republicans, capitalism, the "rich" or anyone else except for themselves and the politicians they elect.
The residents of Washington, DC keep electing and re-electing Marrion Barry (!) even though he turned that city into a hell hole of crime, corruption and squalor. There is no reason to believe urbanites in other cities are any different than the residents of DC.
May '12
Re: Republican Market Opportunity: The Cities
Now now lets not romanticize "rural thought" so much.
There are obviously multiple reasons why the geography of cities lends to certain political outcomes. One is the concentration of poor people, of course.
The second one, however, is the concentration of wealthy people. Wealthy people typically become wealthy not by having a wider range of knowledge than the rest of us, but precisely by having a narrower range, but more specialized, than us. They are rationally ignorant of the politics and things unrelated to their field, and are rationally anti-competitive; i.e. if they can use government more effectively at keeping others from climbing the ladder, and therefore prefer bigger government (since they control it).
Cities are by definition centralized. As BlueAnt points out, the solution is the de-centralization of cities. But not because rural-ism is good, or urban-ism is bad. Only because centralization has diminishing returns.
That may be the only viable long-term solution for Republicans or conservatives. And it is a natural process; most cities have become far less centralized today than they were 30 or 40 years ago, and will continue to be so. So that's the good news.
May '11
Re: Republican Market Opportunity: The Cities
If conservatives are ever going to be a dominant force in government policy, they have to formulate an argument that has relevance in the places that are being destroyed by liberal governance. Unfortunately conservatives seem to be slow in thinking in this way. Rahm Emmanuel is a quasi-socialist liberal politician who is staking his political survival on being in opposition to the teachers unions. We are late to this game.