Profiles in Courage

WEEKLY STANDARD ^ | 5/26/2014 | William Kristol

[Dqban22]

PROFILES IN COURAGE

William Kristol

May 26, 2014, Vol. 19, No. 35

Two emails recently showed up, one right after the other, in my inbox. The first was a mass mailing from Ron Paul (my inbox is a big tent!). Its subject line: “The IRS asked for a fight. How about a revolution?” The second was a review by Peter Berkowitz of the recently reissued book by Roger Scruton, The Meaning of Conservatism.

One couldn’t help but be struck by the contrast between these missives from different precincts of conservatism. Paul’s spirited fundraising letter is, to say the least, a call to arms. Berkowitz’s thoughtful essay, “A Conservative’s Case for Moderation,” argues that conservatives need to exercise “political moderation in its highest form.” So, what’s it to be for American conservatives today? The spirit of revolution, or the virtue of moderation?

Our conservatism is generally closer to that of Berkowitz than that of Paul. We’re sympathetic to Berkowitz’s worry that, “Driven by the fear that every political compromise brings the country one step closer to the defeat of the idea of limited constitutional government at home and the ruinous erosion of America’s ability to defend herself abroad, conservatives have taken to equating political moderation with capitulation.” We second his warning against so simplistic an equation, and we appreciate his reminder that moderation really is, generally speaking, both a moral virtue and a political necessity.

Furthermore, as Berkowitz points out, moderation plays a crucial role “in satisfying the persistent need [for conservatives] to reach accommodations among themselves.” More broadly, Berkowitz is right to remind conservatives of the need for an appreciation of “the complexities, trade-offs, and roads not taken involved in the American constitutional tradition’s paradoxical commitment to conserving liberty.”

But given the parlous state of the country, isn’t there something to be said for a dollop—maybe a soupçon, or even just a drop—of immoderation? We look around at Obama’s America. We see unmitigated weakness abroad, unprecedented nanny statism at home, and unimpeded assaults on free speech at universities. It’s hard to avoid the sense that we’re reaching a tipping point in the age-old struggle between decency and decadence, and between manly independence and importuning dependency.

The rest of the article

http://www.weeklystandard.com/print/articles/profiles-courage_792838.html

[Dqban22]

Given the challenges today’s conservatism faces, a little touch of Paine isn’t inappropriate. Or a touch, say, of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.

[Yossarian]

"PROFILES IN COURAGE"	is to	Bill Kristol's Weekly Standard
AS
"ALL THE TRUTH, FIT TO PRINT"	is to	Pinch Sulzberger's New York Times

[tet68]

Moderation is not a political necessity to democrats,
they seem to ignore any resemblence to it unless
it comes from the other side, no wonder we hear calls
for it constantly.

[Dr. Sivana]

When parties involved want radically different outcomes, and one side continuously employs salami tactics, moderation is no longer an productive option.

[bandleader]

My big brother used to work for Dancer,Fitzgerald,Sample.This is the advertising firm that came up with Toyota’s”You Asked For It;You Got It”ad slogan.His firm (also)came up with(no pun intended)”Where’s The Beef”? for Burger King.These WORK For Me!!By the way,Toyota just moved it’s US Headquarters from Torrance <Calif. to TEXAS!!I couldn’t guess why????

[TBP]

Scruton is a conservative?

[Ditto]

"I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue! "
--- Barry Goldwater