Sunday, October 4, 2009
The final stage of grief...
...is acceptance. I think, maybe, conservatism is reaching that point. It was kicking and sputtering throughout the Bush years, who just gave it mouth to mouth and some deadly medicine to dull the pain. Then denial set it halfway through the '08 election, and now we've been dealing with anger and those related stages with the rise of Glenn Beck and his absurditiness. Populism seemed all left of the right's great yelp, and in what may be the greatest irony of the whole process so far, it appears that Beck may be reinvigorating intellectual conservatism. Believe me, I'm shocked, but if he's changing his angle, I'll be the first to welcome it.
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Interesting.
ReplyDeleteI really think that the Bush administration's politics hurt conservatism greatly. It's hard for anyone who supported Bush to say that they dislike big government when he expanded spending so much. Sure, he gave tax cuts, but he also created huge deficits. It's hard for anyone who supported Bush in 2004 to come back now and say that Obama is spending too much. Certainly, deficits are bad, but why weren't they bad in 2007?
The Bush administration did not focus on these core ideas of conservatism, especially fiscal conservatism. The Bush administration focused on elections, which will work for an election cycle or two, but swift boats and flag pins will only get you so far. When you start calling Max Cleland unpatriotic, you just look like an asshole. The Bush administration was not about governing. It was about winning, and I think that that mentality hurts other conservatives, even if it means that Bush gets a second term.
I truly hope that intellectual conservatism makes a comeback in America. I would much rather talk about those issues than whether someone loves Jesus enough. I think the Bush administration chose to go with a populist route, in particular one that embraced Christian values. The problem with this route is that anyone who does not meet their definition of a perfect Christian feels alienated. That leaves the Democrats with the big tent and the Republicans with the revival tent.
I could go on, but I have to post an article for you on Birthers.