In our case, those beliefs can be summarized as a set of principles, couched in the wisdom and restraint of moderation, centrism and common sense.

Centrism doesn’t mean we simply pick a point in the middle. And we freely admit our method of problem-solving doesn’t always result in a quick and simple answer, either.

But we do believe the comprehensive nature of our approach means the Modern Whig solution to a political issue is usually more effective — not to mention more complete — than what we’re used to hearing in our national discourse. 

We also believe our intense commitment to honoring these principles, all of which have more than stood the test of time, is what has led us to an honest and authentic view of public service. And we believe the many failings of our government are usually caused by politicians departing from these same time-honored principles.

While our proposals are the result of how we think, our principles define who we are.

The Constitution is the foundation of the rule of law

Whigs believe too many politicians simply make up rules as they go along, as though they have the authority to do whatever they please once they have assumed office.

We believe this arrogant, yet all-too-common behavior in politics is dangerous and may undermine the trust Americans should have in our constitutional system of checks and balances. The rule of law must remain relevant to the governed as well as to those who govern.

We stand behind the Constitution as written in 1787, as amended over the years, and as interpreted by the Supreme Court in its ongoing process of judicial review. We believe it applies at all times, everywhere. And we will defend our Constitution against all enemies, both foreign and domestic.

We stand behind all the liberties guaranteed to us in the Constitution

We will stand in determined opposition whenever government overreaches its authority and attempts to deny anyone their inalienable rights. These rights cannot be given away without our consent, nor can they be legitimately bounded without due process.

And we fervently believe every American is entitled to equal protection of the law — we were all “created equal,” regardless of accidents of birth.

We stand for limited government

We believe government is specifically granted its authority by the consent of the governed and cannot simply claim any power not expressly forbidden to it. While the Framers were wise to leave us some flexibility in the Constitution, they never intended our government to take on a life of its own, to serve its own purposes and answer only to itself.

That’s especially true when it comes to the presidency. They restricted executive power within a very narrow range and subjected it to legislative oversight expressly to prevent the rise of a tyrant bent on exercising authority they do not have.

And although the Constitution grants the president broad powers in the realm of foreign affairs, treaties must be ratified by the Senate, terms of international trade and legal immigration are the purview of Congress, and only Congress has the authority to declare war.

We stand for capitalism

We believe the ownership of private property and the free exchange of goods and services are central to the liberty of the individual citizen and fundamental to the American way of life.

While we acknowledge the role of government in regulating the economy to ensure fair competition between privately-held businesses; its duty to create healthy macroeconomic conditions to promote prosperity and the general welfare; and its moral obligation to provide sensible basic services for the well-being of its People and the survival of the most vulnerable among us, we believe government is constitutionally required to respect and defend the property rights of our fellow citizens at all times.  

We stand for electing honest and humble public servants of all the people

We believe our elected officials must serve all their constituents, work tirelessly to help solve their problems, and have the courage to clearly inform them when a tough decision is needed. But we also understand it is unrealistic to expect our officeholders to be pillars of integrity, humility, and modesty if the people they are elected to serve are willing to sell their vote to the highest bidder.

We believe we have a responsibility, as citizens and as voters, to hold ourselves and our elected officials accountable, and that includes being willing and able to ferret out false promises or cast votes for reasons greater than our immediate gratification.

In a democracy, it has been noted many times, the People get the government they deserve. We should be determined to deserve the best.

We stand for reasoned discourse, flexibility, and consensus

Everyone has a right to their opinion, of course. For us, the purpose of public discussion is to seek common ground through the expression of our opinions in a mutually respectful environment, even as we try and persuade through the exchange of ideas.

To the Modern Whig, the true tragedy isn’t the inability to agree, but the unwillingness to engage in intellectually honest discussion and debate. We have faith in rigorous thinking. We reject inherited dogma and pre-programmed talking points.

Most of all, we believe in the frank and honest discussion of the merits of the case as the necessary and essential first step in reaching a principled consensus. The goal is to discover sensible solutions to address the challenges of the day with intelligence and purpose, not to simply win fruitless arguments.

We stand opposed to the use of intimidation and violence to silence political views

We firmly support the right of the American people to peacefully express their opinions, no matter how objectionable they may be to some.

We believe the “marketplace of ideas” will, if left alone, select the best ideas and scrap the worst ones despite the fact our information spaces are always less than pure. We oppose all attempts to seek to silence or exclude ideas and viewpoints for failing to adhere to a particular political ideology or dogma, or for being opposed to a particular politician or party.

And we cannot, and will not, tolerate intimidation, violence, or the threat of either in an effort to deny any of our fellow citizens their right of free speech — as we believe all Americans should, lest we begin the process of losing it.

We stand for virtue

We believe the most intelligent, creative, talented and hard-working among us should not be denied their proper reward from the virtuous exercise of these traits.

Our most able and productive citizens drive the economic, social and cultural engines which support us all. Not only does society suffer when we create less incentive in others to develop and use the best skills they have to offer, but we also believe allowing our fellow citizens to enjoy the fruits of their own labor is simply a matter of justice.  

We stand for the right of the voter to choose the candidate who best represents them

We believe the political power of the voter has been diluted, even corrupted, beyond recognition by our current system. Only two candidates have a realistic chance to win an election for most elected offices, but in far too many cases neither truly represents the voter. Citizens no longer get a real choice.

Because we believe we cannot allow this most important right to be made so completely irrelevant to the process, we support election reform — most especially, adoption of approval voting to make our ballot more representative, more open and more fair.

We stand for independent and critical thinking in solving problems

In our exploration of political issues, Whigs address all cases to the extent possible.

We believe every proposal must stand a reasonable chance of solving the problem it seeks to correct; be practical and cost-effective in its implementation; conform to traditional standards of fair play and the dictates of constitutional law; and be designed in order to mitigate the risk of unintended consequences. The time and resources involved in implementation must be reasonably accounted for and not be so burdensome as to prohibit success.  

Finally, while we are always cognizant of the proposals from other quarters — and always keep history, custom and tradition in mind — we believe in starting with a clean sheet. Our approach is to view challenges from our unique perspective, but with an open mind, rather than accept dogma from either the left or the right.

And while we certainly have a point of view, we always subject any and every proposal, including our own, to the same rigorous analysis.

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The Modern Whig Institute is a 501(c)(3) civic research and education foundation dedicated to the fundamental American principles of representative government, ordered liberty, capitalism, due process and the rule of law.