This is the third entry in a series with Shawn Askinosie, owner of Askinosie Chocolate. Today, Shawn shares his political philosophy, tells about why James Dobson should stay out of politics, and offers a solution to make the Republican Party more relevant.

The Relevant Elephant: With your unique blend of experience as both an attorney and a small business owner, what is your political philosophy? How has it developed over the years?

Shawn Askinosie: My political philosophy, when I was in my twenties and younger, I was about as conservative as you can get. When I was sixteen years old I circulated a right-to-work petition so that Missouri didn’t have to be a union state, so we wouldn’t be a closed shop. When I was a freshman at Baylor University I delivered the nomination speech for Ronald Reagan at a mock convention that we held.

I was a member of the American Conservative Union when I was in college and I worked as a congressional page when I was in high school for a conservative Republican. I interned for republicans in the Senate, and [conservatism] was my political philosophy.

As I grew in my career as a criminal defense lawyer, I began to become much more socially liberal in my viewpoints, and it’s because I saw what I call “right-wing Republicanism” was doing to people in this country that was harmful. I dealt with people who were in prison and often didn’t have the money to hire lawyers, and I saw what it did to their families. I saw what the so-called “drug war” did to people. The drug war was a complete failure, and in many ways was a direct descendant of right-wing Republicanism.

I found myself disenfranchised with the party. I think once I even voted for Clinton… I didn’t tell a lot of people, but I did it.

However, I have now had another shift, back to more conservative fundamental beliefs, but not as a part of what I would call “the Christian right”. I’m not a fan of the Christian right… I’m not a fan of Focus on the Family. I’m extremely cautious and concerned when my faith gets too close to my government.

I worry about it not because I don’t trust Christians, but because I wonder what would happen if another faith became a dominant force in this country and tried to run the government. I’m not a fan of a Republican theocracy.

Today, I’m in favor of fiscal conservatism. I believe in a very conservative Supreme Court, but not for the reasons you might think. I think we should have a living bill of rights. I think people have rights that need to be protected, I just think we have to be careful when we give them the blessing of Supreme Court opinion. I think many things should be left to the states and not to the federal government.

I think we should have never gone into Iraq. I said at the time, when I was allowed to preach a sermon on the issue, that the “just war” principals that were developed in Augustinian philosophy were not met. There was not a “just war” principal that would’ve persuaded me to go into Iraq. I think it was a mistake to go there, it’s a mistake to be there, and it’s a mistake to not get out as soon as possible.

Not to say that we shouldn’t fight radical, Islamic fundamental extremism on every front that we can. I believe that we should fight to defend our country in every way that we can.

I travel around the world today and see America looked down upon. I’ve traveled at times in my life when this was not the case, and I would like to see America’s place restored as a good country that will help people, a country that is fair and just.

I think we’ve lost our way when it comes to what the prophet said the Lord required of us… to love mercy, to be just, and to walk humbly before God. I think we’ve lost that in our foreign policy, and I’d like to see that restored.

As far as a businessperson, I want the government to get out of my business. From that point, I’m a fiscal conservative and a regulatory conservative. I want the government to leave me alone. I don’t want them to help me in any way… I want them to get out of my way. I don’t want them to sit around in hearing rooms and think of what kind of incentive package to offer small business. I’d rather them sit around and think of what regulations they can do away with. I’d like them to find areas to cut red tape, free up international trade, and get out of my way. I’ve seen too many instances where the government is getting in my way, from Republicans and Democrats alike, and I don’t want that. So from that standpoint, I long for the days of Ronald Reagan.

Now, when it comes to social policy, I’m a liberal. I think it’s our duty as human beings to take care of the less fortunate. I think it’s our duty to take care of homeless people, to take care of children. And if that means I have to give money to someone to make sure that happens, then I think we should do it. But I don’t think that the answer is another government program. I want to find a way to help provide health insurance for my employees. I don’t want the government to come up with that way, or for them to develop a new program. I think our markets, our free market, capitalism, have to come up with a way to make healthcare affordable. How is that going to happen? I don’t know. But the markets can make it happen.

The other thing that needs to happen is that our churches need to take care of people. We need to take care of people around the world, in places like Darfur, and right in our towns. Who do you think built the hospitals in our country? The churches! We wouldn’t have the hospitals we have today if it wasn’t for our churches… but they did that sixty or seventy years ago, and we need that same attitude now. 

I don’t think we should rely on the government to do this stuff… we should do it. People of faith should do it. I don’t think it should be James Dobson telling our candidates what to do… I think it should be James Dobson’s church going out and doing it themselves.


TRE: So you’re socially liberal, but not in terms of government providing it… you think we should all do it?

SA: I do. I think it’s our responsibility. I’m not socially liberal from the standpoint that “Barack Obama can do it”. I’m a liberal when it comes to taking care of people. I think I should take care of people, that you should too. I don’t think the government should do it. We used to do it on our own, and we can do it again.


TRE: As recent polls suggest, young voters are increasingly aligning with liberals. Why do you think this is the case? What would make the Republican Party more relevant?

SA: I think that the Republican Party is going to be relevant to young people when they find a way to tap into the current generation’s interest in social politics. There’s just this hunger for addressing the social concerns of our world, our nation, and our community. I’ve never seen this before. In many ways it’s like the sixties without all the bad stuff. I think the Democrats have found a way to tap into that.

As a Christ-follower, I think we can incorporate these social concerns and needs into our party. I think we can become a party that is extremely fiscally conservative, but at the same time inspires young people to get out there, roll up their sleeves, and do the work. Not roll up their sleeves to raise the money, but to get out there and make a difference themselves.

I think once we find leaders who will inspire people to act on these problems, we’ll once again have young people interested in the Republican Party.