By God I feel sorry for them. Andrew Sullivan:
The eyes roll, I know, when I cling to the word "conservative" like others cling to their, er, Second Amendment rights. But I'd be dissembling if I did not argue that on a whole array of issues, Obama is simply and unequivocally the more conservative candidate.
Of course he is. But those I feel sorry for are those conservatives who still seem to associate, or wish to associate, "conservatism" in any intelligible fashion with the Republican Party. That conservatism is gone, boys, probably forever, just as liberalism for a century has been disconnected from its ideological roots of free-market economics. Liberalism today means almost the precise opposite of 19th-century liberalism. Yet no one cares. Its meaning today is its meaning today, which has been its meaning since roughly the 1930s--as distinguished from modern progressivism, which is sort of the rowdy children's version of adult liberalism, which itself is a hybrid of sober New Dealism and a pragmatic, internationalist foreign policy.
What's more, in the face of the GOP's anarchic reactionaryism modern liberalism has morphed into the only true conservatism to be had: it stands to preserve and protect those American institutions which have become our traditional means of greater social stability: namely, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, public education, the earned income tax credit and the like. The Republican Party is actively hostile to governmental means to the ends of social stability; in short, the Republican Party has kissed conservatism goodbye.
And it would seem the party really means it. Who is the base already pimping for the 2016 contest? Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee, two religious fanatics who wouldn't know Edmund Burke from Moe, Larry or Curly.
But back to this conservatism and Republican Party business, which is but symptomatic of old ways of thinking dying hard. It goes without saying that authentic conservatives will have nothing to do with today's manic GOP, but their prejudices are to be found as well in their indefatigable resistance to formally allying with the Democratic Party. Give it up, conservatives. You might as well be miserable with the rest of us under the Dems' big tent. There's simply no place else, which isn't all wet, to camp.
By the way, in the wake of the formal treaty of political entente you are still welcome to call yourselves "conservatives"--even if you're actually today's liberals.
OT: Hope you're watching 'Hardball', PM. Chris Matthews is in rare form. Called Romney a 'lawn sprinkler of national insults,' and then something about him 'barfing' his idiocy everywhere.
Posted by: You Don't Say | July 30, 2012 at 06:03 PM
" It goes without saying that authentic conservatives will have nothing to do with today's manic GOP, but their prejudices are to be found as well in their indefatigable resistance to formally allying with the Democratic Party."
I find this habit among the somewhat-sane conservative types to be nearly as infuriating as the rabid bunch of brain-dead knuckledraggers they finally part ways with.
In 2004 and 2008 I had conversations with fairly reasonable Republicans who had had enough of GWB and the party, but decided to vote Libertarian rather than Democratic, always saying some variant of "well, voting for [the Dem] isn't any better than sticking with Bush/GOP." I would then spend a few minutes pointing out all the ways that the Democratic candidate actually did represent many of their (mostly moderate) interests better than the GOP or libertarians. It never mattered. They just instinctively, resolutely, couldn't even contemplate voting Democrat. I still don't understand it.
I mean, I'm basically to the left of the Democratic party and won't be considering a vote for any GOP candidate unless and until this fever of absolute craziness breaks and they field reasonable people as candidates. But there have been some GOPers I can remember that I may have voted for had I been of age or in their districts at the time. (former Gov. Jim Edgar of Illinois comes to mind. Either Chafee, as well).
Posted by: Turgidson | July 30, 2012 at 06:37 PM
Before they vote Democratic, the authentic conservatives will wander the desert like heretics in exile.
The modern GOP will complete its full and final transformation into a white Christianist party (as Sullivan has also documented).
However, inevitable demographic changes will reduce its power and influence with every succeeding election. Initiatives like voter suppression and closed-immigration policy goals are like trying to plug holes in a dam. They will not ultimately work because they're fighting with economics and birth rates.
Once the conservatives come out of exile and try to claim back their party, their challenge will be to build a coalition that can win national elections. Just relying on the business wing will not be enough. The Tea Party Crazy will have handed the Democrats the loyalty of the Hispanic population, other immigrants, gays, etc.
Posted by: MinneapolisPipe | July 31, 2012 at 12:19 AM
A moment will be insufficient to deal with the Republican party's ailments. A Sista Soulja revolution is required.
Posted by: Peter G | July 31, 2012 at 08:34 AM