Are Conservatives Dead or Resting?

American Thinker ^ | June 08, 2008 | Christopher Chantrill

[vietvet67]

The first boss I ever had, in 1968, was a Nixon-hater. A Democrat from upstate New York, he kept a coffee mug emblazoned with a Nixon $3 bill, and he could recite the litany of Nixon's red-baiting campaigns. First there was Jerry Voorhees in 1946, then there was Alger Hiss and the pumpkin papers. Then there was Helen Gahagan Douglas in 1950. You can imagine that I was surprised when Nixon won the presidency that November.

We learned later that Richard Nixon's victory over Hubert Humphrey in 1968 was the first victory of Nixon's "southern strategy," a deliberate attempt to woo Southern Democrats in the years after the passage of the landmark civil rights acts of the mid 1960s. "States rights" and "law and order" were racist code words calculated to appeal to the racist hearts of white Southern voters.

Over the years this meme seems to have become all-consuming and all-explaining for our Democratic friends. On the net there are hundreds of liberals for whom politics is defined by the Democrats' support of civil rights versus the Republicans' racist Southern Strategy. In Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America Rick Pearlstein tells us that today's divisive politics is all the result of Richard Nixon's cunning rise to power. We are the divided nation that Nixon created.

Even John B. Judis and Ruy Teixeira in The Emerging Democratic Majority,a generally optimistic prophecy of future Democratic dominance, need to poke Republicans in the eye on civil rights.

After 1964, the Democrats embraced, and the Republicans rejected, the cause of civil rights. The new conservative movement took root in opposition to the federal civil rights acts of 1964 and 1965.

(In the Chicago Spring of Reverend Wright and Father Pfleger, the above statement is hereby declared inoperative.)

Now comes The New Yorker's George Packer to expand on this in "The Fall of Conservatism." Pat Buchanan and Richard Nixon, he writes, saw the potential for a right-wing coalition back in 1966.

"From Day One, Nixon and I talked about creating a new majority," Buchanan told [Packer]... "What we talked about, basically, was shearing off huge segments of F.D.R.'s New Deal coalition[.]"

So off they went to sow division in the Democratic Party, using a politics of "positive polarization." It "ensured that American politics would be an ugly, unredeemed business for decades to come."

But now in 2008 "the movement that Goldwater began, Nixon brought to power, Ronald Reagan gave mass appeal, Gingrich radicalized, DeLay criminalized, and Bush allowed to break into pieces" is over. America is moving on into a new political era, for neither John McCain or Barack Obama got signed up in the Sixties for the culture war. According to David Brooks, "there's just no driving force, and it will soften up normal Republicans for real change."

It is certainly true that conservatives and Republicans feel disoriented and confused this election season. But it misses the point to say, as Packer does:

Now most conservatives seem incapable of even acknowledging the central issues of our moment: wage stagnation, inequality, health care, global warming. They are stuck in the past, in the dogma of limited government.

On the contrary, conservatives have rather clear ideas on the "central issues." Conservatives have a cure for wage stagnation and inequality. It is called education reform. Conservatives have a cure for inequality. It is called Social Security reform and aims to get lower-income Americans onto the wealth creation ladder. But we can't enact reform because Democrats won't let us. We'd like to reform health care by curbing the wasteful third-party payment system, and we are making some progress under the radar with Health Savings Accounts. But Democrats are pushing one-size-fits-all top-down changes to health care policy instead.

If you look back over the last 30 years, back over the record of conservative reform, there is one thing that stands out. Conservative reform never had a chance unless there was a crisis. The Reaganomics of hard money and low tax rates only got done in the crisis of Carter inflation/recession. The Bush tax cuts only got passed in the tech meltdown. Welfare reform only got passed when Newt Gingrich put a gun to President Clinton's reelection prospects in 1996.

The problem that today's conservatives face is that things aren't bad enough on the Social Security front, on the education front, or on the health-care front for the American people to be ready for "change." So Republican primary voters sensibly nominated John McCain, a man to fight the war on Islamic extremism while holding the line on domestic issues.

If you want to be cheered up about conservative prospects, you need only take a look at the resurgent Conservative Party in England. Eleven years ago Tony Blair got elected as "New Labour" to improve public services, supposedly wrecked by "Tory cuts." But after a doubling of health care expenditure and huge increases in education costs there is no improvement and the voters are hopping mad.

Now that he is 20 points ahead in the polls, what are the "central issues" for Conservative leader David Cameron? School choice, welfare reform, and police reform.

Christopher Chantrill is a frequent contributor to American Thinker. See his roadtothemiddleclass.com and usgovernmentspending.com. His Road to the Middle Class is forthcoming.

[mad_as_he$$]

The Conservative movement is on life support. Conservatives are making plans for a long period of pain.

[vietvet67]

“Seems to me that Thompson never really intended to get elected.”

As a “laid back country boy” Fred didn’t display the necessary excitement and drive for the office. In this day and age his honesty and just being himself doomed his chances.

Nonetheless, IMO, the MSM sensed the potential and stymied his efforts at every turn.

[Arkinsaw]

First off, social liberalism (”social libertarian”) ensures the survival of big government. The government grows when people cannot repress their own desire to sin, either through force of character or religious faith. Libertarians ignore the fact that social liberalism helps feed the very government they claim to oppose.

Secondly, the “theocracy” argument sounds like something from the left, not the right. Although there may be some conservatives who favor a theocracy, they are certainly a small minority—that is, unless you are calling any public expression of faith a theocracy.

I don't think its an issue of religion thats the problem, I think its an issue of dogma.

We have a breed of relatively new conservatives who have a dogma that they ascribe to and feel no need to defend it on an intellectual basis. They are for things or against things because they are "on the list", not because they have thought hard.

I have spent years attacking my own political philosophies. I have listened to NPR regularly, I read DU, I read the liberal columnists. I question my philosophy on every issue and my mind is open to being changed by logic.

After all this thought, I have determined that conservative positions usually come out on top and make the most sense. Not always, but most of the time.

Conservatism has an intellectual basis. There is reasoning behind our philosophies. Conservatism is imminently defendable in a debate. It is not based on emotion.

But there are a breed of conservatives who want to make Conservatism an emotional philsophy that is the opposite of liberal emotionalism. Repeating our thoughtless mantra with more emotion than the liberals repeat their thoughtless mantra.

Sometimes I think these conservatives are starting to do this because they are afraid that the liberals will beat them in a logic fight. I suggest less dogma and emotion and more logic.

Or maybe, as one poster said, conservatives are getting politically lazy.

There is nothing to be afraid of, most conservative principles stand up very well in a debate if you properly arm yourself with logic. When you are so armed you can smile gently like Reagan did and leave foaming at the mouth dogma to the liberals.

[appleton14]

Fred Thompson? Maybe. However, he did not have a fire in his belly to be President.

[Arkinsaw]

Gingrich also had too much spineless RINO opposition in the Senate with Lott, Graham, McCain and Frist.

The House would pass it, the Senate would stop it. (Impeachment) Or they would vote for the largest tax increase in the history of the nation.

Yeah, Gingrich has his flaws, but I think he really wanted to do the right thing. Republicans in Congress got scared by the incessant press attacks and demonization of him and ran away like mice. Reagan was able to survive the press demonization and Gingrich was not. Gingrich being driven out was the turning point and where Congress was lost.

[Arkinsaw]

Gingrich also had too much spineless RINO opposition in the Senate with Lott, Graham, McCain and Frist.

The House would pass it, the Senate would stop it. (Impeachment) Or they would vote for the largest tax increase in the history of the nation.

Yeah, Gingrich has his flaws, but I think he really wanted to do the right thing. Republicans in Congress got scared by the incessant press attacks and demonization of him and ran away like mice. Reagan was able to survive the press demonization and Gingrich was not. Gingrich being driven out was the turning point and where Congress was lost.

[gusopol3]

Over the years this meme seems to have become all-consuming and all-explaining for our Democratic friends. On the net there are hundreds of liberals for whom politics is defined by the Democrats' support of civil rights versus the Republicans' racist Southern Strategy. In Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America Rick Pearlstein tells us that today's divisive politics is all the result of Richard Nixon's cunning rise to power. We are the divided nation that Nixon created.

it's the problem with allowing political enemies to write the history and then imposing the lie by endless repetition. It ignores the fact that Viet Nam fractured the Democrats in that same era, southerners being more capable of seeing that anti-anti communism was pro communist than the elite classes like this guy's first boss. Go on to the divide over abortion and you have a more viable and wholly racially -free explanation of the conservative values victories in the south.

[G.Mason]

" ... It's not the liberals who destroy conservative thought, it's the moderates and rino's within our own party ... "

The absolute truth, if ever it was spoken.

You can see it on any "conservative" web site.

Caving in is what pseudo conservatives do best.

It's too bad ignorance isn't painful.

[appleton14]

That’s very true what you said about “arming youself with logic” with arguing, disagreeing, confronting a liberal. I have a cousin who has voted Democrat forever and when I throw out facts, etc., she has no reply.

[mass55th]

We’re not quite dead yet, just in suspended animation.

[alicewonders]

Are Conservatives Dead or Resting?

I think we're regrouping. It's going to take awhile & I think the next tent we put up needs to be a little "smaller". We need to stick to our principles. It will take some time & dedication & the biggest thing we need is a LEADER to lead us out of the wilderness. We'll know him when we see him (or perhaps HER?)

[Bernard Marx]

If conservatives are ever given the chance again....they better actually do what they say and not just take over the Democratic power levers and perks like they did last time.

That's the root of things, isn't it? Fish rot from the head and that's what's happened to American government. Our Judiciary now makes the laws. The Legislative feasts on a seemingly never-ending banquet of pork and privilege and lets the Judiciary do what it will. The Executive seems caught up in endless kow-towing to the rest of the world when it's not apologizing to them and the UN for representing American interests. It's time to clean the stable.

[sirchtruth]

It's too bad ignorance isn't painful.

Congress should be doubled over!

[Biblebelter]

Are Conservatives Dead or Resting?

They need to sober up and get into rehabilitation with a twelve step program. I am working on the first two steps.

Step l Even though you voted for guys named George Bush six times on national tickets, they are not, nor were they EVER conservatives.

Step 2 NEVER TRUST RINO SENATORS, let alone vote for one for President.

[alicewonders]

Nonetheless, IMO, the MSM sensed the potential and stymied his efforts at every turn.

I agree with your assessment. The MSM saw BIG potential for Fred's message to take off. As soon as he got ready to enter the race - the MSM started elevating Huckabee as the "saviour of conservatives" in the race. They did this to draw evangelical votes from Fred Thompson. Huckabee's popularity was almost a total fabrication by the MSM.

It was blatantly obvious the media was tag-teaming to keep Thompson down. We allowed ourselves to be split & now look what we have to choose from. I hope we don't make that mistake again in the future.

[TADSLOS]

Conservatives aren’t dead, but the GOP is terminal with an assisted suicide specialist nominated to provide the lethal dose.

[Arkinsaw]

it's the problem with allowing political enemies to write the history and then imposing the lie by endless repetition. It ignores the fact that Viet Nam fractured the Democrats in that same era, southerners being more capable of seeing that anti-anti communism was pro communist than the elite classes like this guy's first boss. Go on to the divide over abortion and you have a more viable and wholly racially -free explanation of the conservative values victories in the south.

I disagree with the "southern strategy" business as it has been painted. Lyndon Johnson definitely was pro-Civil Rights, but who did he count on to help him get that stuff passed? Republicans.

Look at the 1956 Southern Manifesto, if Southerners based things entirely on race they should have looked at that document...seen that the vast majority were Democrats...and assumed that Democrats were the party they should stick with.

How the Democrats lost the South has been made into a simplistic cartoon of Republican="evil winners", Democrat="hero losers" and its a lot more complicated than that.

Republicans at the time did not have the reputation of anti-Civil Rights. Democrats were the signers of the manifesto....Democrats stood in the schoolhouse doors....Democrats sent in the National Guard.

The Democrats have done a good job of confusing the real record.

[cripplecreek]

No I said he never had any intent to win. He sure got the idol worshipers wound up though.

[Arkinsaw]

That’s very true what you said about “arming youself with logic” with arguing, disagreeing, confronting a liberal. I have a cousin who has voted Democrat forever and when I throw out facts, etc., she has no reply.

Back during Reagan I had two friends who were yellow-dogs, they railed against the election of Reagan. I pretty much demanded that they debate the issue logically. We went through Reagans philosophy point by point over a few weeks. At the end, I had two new conservatives.

One of them is still as conservative as can be and Republican Party supporter. The other has recently abandoned conservatism and the party.

I must admit that I myself cannot intellectually defend a lot of what Republicans have done since the fall of Gingrich and I don't blame him a bit.

But the intellectual foundation I used to convert these guys back in the 80's still applies and is still imminently defendable. It just doesn't apply to the current Republican Party so much.

When things go bad you have to go back and look at where you made the wrong turn, backtrack, and take the right fork in the road. That was somewhere in between the end of the Reagan era and Gingrich's fall.

The American people still love President Reagan...time to go back there and pick up the flag that was dropped.

[60Gunner]

Conservatives are not dead. We are simply giving Liberalism enough rope to hang itself. When the American people see the truth- that is, how utterly ruinous, dehumanizing and lethal the lie of liberalism really is- they will flush the toilet and return to the principles upon which our country was founded.