Mitch Daniels Reveals an Inconvenient Truth about the Right

American Thinker ^ | 06/14/2010 | John Guardiano

[SeekAndFind]

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels has disappointed many social and cultural conservatives with his call for a "truce on the so-called [sic] social issues. We're going to just have to agree to get along for a little while," until the economic issues are resolved, Daniels told the Weekly Standard's Andrew Ferguson.

But as the American Spectator's Joseph Lawler has observed, it's doubtful that Daniels' truce would change anything. After all, Lawler rightly asks:

"What typical Republican policies would he [Daniels] have to suspend and they [social and cultural conservatives] have to sacrifice? It's not clear to me that it would be anything more than simply the usual social conservative rhetoric..."

Lawler doesn't think this is a problem. I do.

That's because, unlike Lawler apparently, I am not willing to join a conservative movement that has retreated from the culture wars and surrendered to the left in key cultural battles like so-called gay rights, "affirmative action," "diversity," speech codes, and "multiculturalism."

Sure, like Lawler I have a modern-day sensibility. I am happily single and live and work in an affluent and diverse urban village in the Washington, D.C. area. I have friends and colleagues who happen to be black, gay, Hispanic, and Asian; and I really don't think anything of it.

In short, although culturally conservative, I am, I believe, thoroughly modern and socially progressive.

Nonetheless, I believe in cultural and educational standards, the rights of religious believers, and equal rights, not special rights. Consequently, I am adamantly opposed to "affirmative action" (read: reverse discrimination) and to so-called gay rights.

"Affirmative action" and "gay rights" are unjust in my view because they give special rights and privileges to people based on their race and sexual status, and innocent Americans get wronged -- that is, discriminated against -- as a result.

Unfortunately, Lawler is right about one thing: Daniels' "truce" in the culture wars is more a recognition of reality than a call for action. The right, after all, long ago abandoned the cultural playing field to the left. Thus, conservatives seldom even give lip service anymore to cultural issues like "affirmative action" and "gay rights."

In fact, many conservatives -- especially younger, Gen Y conservatives -- go out of their way to flaunt their liberal credentials on these and other cultural issues so as to gain street cred and social acceptance. The Tea Party movement, moreover, seems to view cultural issues as political baggage that best be discarded.

This is one big reason -- the other is defense and foreign policy issues, where Daniels again inadvertently revealed an inconvenient truth about the right -- that I am not particularly enamored of the modern-day conservative movement: for too many on the right, politics begins and ends with economics; and cultural conservatives and defense hawks need not apply.

So don't be angry with Mitch Daniels He simply said aloud what's become increasingly apparent for some time, which is: on some of the most important cultural and military issues of our time, the right has lost its way and has ceased even to be conservative.

John R. Guardiano is a writer and analyst in Arlington, Virginia. You can follow him on Twitter: @JohnRGuardiano

[Lancey Howard]

Daniels is the perfect audio-visual aid for “The Peter Principle”.
Governor of Indiana - - that’s the end of the line for Daniels. Weakness and cowardice eventually surfaces.

[Lancey Howard]

I’ve argued you can’t ignore any of the legs of Conservatism. Focus exclusively on the social end and the economy can suffer, focus on the economy exclusively and the soul suffers. A little effort and you can cover both, but ignoring one or the other and your Conservative credentials become suspect.

That's well stated. "Cultural" issues are indelibly intertwined with "economic" issues. You can't just separate them and take the coward's way out by focusing solely on the easy stuff ("the economy, stupid") the way Daniels wants to do.

[Chi-townChief]

So how can you be an economic conservtaive without being a social conservative??? It goes hand in hand.

[liberalism is suicide]

How long will economic livelihood stand while the moral and cultural foundations of our civilization are rotting away? We must fight on *all* fronts.

[mewzilla]

Mitch Daniels is still denying one of Indiana’s Congressional districts representation in the House....

[Huck]

Then the culture war is a joke.

[fwdude]

I hope Daniels is slapped around by true conservatives over this until he cries like a girl.

[fwdude]

Because the fantasy of homosexual “marriage” and affirmative action will ratchet us irrevocably to the left. It almost can’t be undone.

[GlockThe Vote]

I am in agreement that those should not be considered, however, if we dont deal with the cap & trade, obamacare, tax hikes, etc, RIGHT NOW, gay marriage will be the last thing on our minds as we scrounge for food and bare necessities ala North Korea.

[fwdude]

How do you "deal" with these things other than pounding on your representatives not to do it? We can fight this way on many fronts at once. We can donate to advocates for conservative values at once.

All of the agenda items of the left are destructive - yes, even same-sex "marriage" and the homosexualization of the military.

[GlockThe Vote]

There are so many crazy things going on lately.

These are truly bad times. Cloward & Piven, Saul Alinsky, marxism, communism, all piled up.

I think a lot of us are uptight lately and take it out on each other when really we are on the same team here.

I personally have never ever seen such an assault on this nation from all angles like this communist junta is pursing.

[fwdude]

I personally have never ever seen such an assault on this nation from all angles like this communist junta is pursing.

Same here. They've been preparing for this moment for decades, and now they're making their move to ram this country hard left.