In the Age of Trump, Is Free Market Ideology a Bad Word?

Is "ideology" a dirty word, especially now in the age of Donald Trump? After all, we hear a great deal about President-elect Trump being non-ideological or even post-ideological.

In a recent Wall Street Journal column, Peggy Noonan took broad swipes at "ideology." She seems to be worried that some conservatives are disengaged given their allegiance to a free market principles - at least that was the impression I was left with after reading the article.

Noonan quoted herself from a 2012 column asserting that Americans "think ideology is something squished down on their heads from on high, something imposed on them by big thinkers who create systems we're all supposed to conform to." Later, she claimed, "One of the most interesting comments at the recent Kennedy School postelection conference came from Mr. Trump's pollster Tony Fabrizio." Noonan noted that Fabrizio said, "many people tried to look at the Donald Trump phenomenon through the ideological lenses which had defined previous Republican presidential nominating contests." However, according to the pollster, "Donald Trump is postideological."

Noonan also referred to her own preference for Edmund Burke: "Burke respected reality, acknowledged human nature, and appreciated political context. In ‘Reflections on the Revolution in France,' he wrote, ‘Circumstances (which with some gentlemen pass for nothing) give in reality to every political principle its distinguishing color and discriminating effect. The circumstances are what render every civil and political scheme beneficial or noxious to mankind.'"

Hmmm. Let's try to get a handle on this "ideology" thing.

The New Oxford American Dictionary defines "ideology" as "a system of ideas and ideals, especially one that forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy." Well, that doesn't sound so bad, does it?

At the same time, hurling the label at someone of being an "ideologue" usually is meant as a slur. But in this negative sense, being an ideologue is more than just subscribing to a set of principles. The connotation is that an ideologue is unthinking and completely dogmatic.

But subscribing to a system of ideas and ideals that are intellectually sound, coherent and complementary, and are confirmed by history and experience, is the exact opposite of unthinking. Rather, it is what a thinking person hopefully does. Conservatives, who, by the way, count Edmund Burke as a founding father of conservatism, would agree.

To say that ideology is all about big thinkers imposing the systems they create on others is to confuse the general concept of "ideology" with failed ideological systems that lack intellectual, historical and experiential legitimacy, such as socialism, communism, mercantilism, protectionism, Progressivism, populism, and crony capitalism.

So, on the economy, what about a free market ideology? While unable to speak for everyone who voices support for a set of ideas, economists, policy analysts, columnists and elected officials who support low taxes, small, limited government, strong property rights, light regulation, and free trade do so because these ideas are rooted in intellectual soundness and historical experience. That is, this free market ideology - this set of ideas and ideals - respects the individual, embraces freedom, and works best as a foundation upon which opportunity, innovation, and an economy can grow.

It was revealing that Ms. Noonan noted Mr. Fabrizio saying that being post-ideological is why so many Bernie Sanders supporters could support Donald Trump. Indeed. Strictly speaking, post-ideological would mean that supporters of a socialist running for president could turn around and later support a candidate calling for tax and regulatory reform and relief, while also serving up rather heated anti-trade rhetoric. It means that systematic thinking, for some, has given way to scattershot, disjointed policy thoughts distanced from experience and history, and likely rooted in how one feels rather than in disciplined thinking.

I say "no thanks" to being non-ideological or post-ideological. Give me ideology in the true, best sense of the word, and let's have a coherent debate over which set of ideas works best.