The Other American Exceptionalism (comparison between American and European conservatism)

Claremont Review of Books, Fall 2005 edition ^ | By Gerard Alexander | By Gerard Alexander

[NZerFromHK]

This piece is primarily aimed at European countries and Britain, but given that much of political heritage and modern politics of Canada are highly similar to Britain and Europe, and how Australia has been inching out of this paradigm towards the American strain of Anglosphere from the Federation but particularly since the Hawke years, it is of worthwhile reference to people of these two nations.

[NZerFromHK]

Ping!

[RWR8189]

Interesting article, thanks for posting.

[nathanbedford]

Mainstream European press coverage of America, free markets, and robust conservatism is so routinely paranoid and hyperbolic that it makes Howard Dean look temperate.

Boy has he got that right! As I sit here in Germany the reports about America by the BBC are simply kafkaesque.

[Gordongekko909]

Two mechanisms might erode those fears: first, the potentially powerful demonstration effect of the former Communist countries' success. Today, a contest is underway between economic liberty in east-central Europe—whose growth could demonstrate the efficiency of their less regulated and less taxed economies—and the efforts of the French, German, and other Western European governments to force growth-stifling "harmonizing" measures on the new E.U. members. East-central Europe can only play an instructive role if its economies remain free. American conservatives thus have an interest in maintaining the perceived viability of the market-oriented central European "social model." To this end, the U.S. could offer those countries closer trade ties and moral-diplomatic support in their attempt to stand up to Brussels (and Paris, and Berlin, and…).

Yeah New Europe!

[Gordongekko909]

A second means of eroding anti-market skepticism would be a campaign of public diplomacy, not by the U.S. government but by the American conservative movement. Such a campaign would show Western Europeans that a great deal of their fears are unfounded. Books like Cowboy Capitalism (2004), by Olaf Gersemann, a German business journalist, have begun to debunk myths about America's poverty, joblessness, social immobility, and quality of life; but more efforts are needed. Blogs remain an undeveloped medium in Europe and might help kickstart the resistance to the European Left's intellectual hegemony. A little encouragement might go a long way.

This means us, kids. No more making fun of Europe. No, not even France.

[NZerFromHK]

Believe it or not, when you try to find the BBC's views on historical US figures like Teddy Roosevelt, he is taken as one of the unapologetic promoters of "US imperialism and militarism". A line that not even the Time megazine will be willing to cross.

[CheyennePress]

Don't watch the BBC too much. It will raise your bloodpressure over time. Seriously, when Tony Blair has to castigate them publically for their reporting, you know what you're dealing with.

Any perceptions of what the people think of the US economy? Looks like German unemployment rates are still around 11% and they posted their first econmic gain in ages: a whopping .6%.

Interesting article above, I thought

[NZerFromHK]

If I want the global reach and coverage of some very local-level foreign news, I would rather watch Deutsche Welle. Despite the fact that it is the international "public service" of an Axis of Weasels country, it is actually less biased than the BBC and on US issues they often appear to get time to report the "red side"'s take on political issues.

The Beeb, in contrast, is just full of lecturing and often don't bother interviewing anyone from red America. British people say it is the best media in the world. It may be true before New Labour government, but not now.

[Tzimisce]

Conservatives in Europe? There aren't any.

The people who want to slowly (as opposed to quickly) implement Marxist theory don't count.

[NZerFromHK]

And neither do they exist in significant numbers in the country to your nnorth, if the assertion by a Canuck on this site is correct:

Liberals want individual rights, legal equality , freedom of choice and democratic government all of which are pro responsibility . As are free markets . Conservatives do not want the unrestricted operations of a free market , they value stability in the market and the stability in the institutions of society.

God help Canada, when such people, who say they themselves are conservatives, sneer at free market and personal responsbility as "neoliberalism" and sounding like the unreconstituted Left here in New Zealand in the process.

[Fair Go]

Looks a most interesting article which I will be spending some more time on. Thanks for the post.

[gaslucas1]

The guy has a point. The NRA gave advice, slogans and help to the brazilian campaign against disarmament. It was careful to avoid talking about it (or the brazilian soviet press would claim that an american plot was underway) and it achieved a remarkably victory (64% against 36%) in a country ruled by a marxist.
American liberals are quick to export their ideas. Just see Chomsky. Conservatives, with the exception of Israel and its surroundings, are remarkably provintial

[TheSarce]

Great post, bookmarking to read in depth later.

[Talking_Mouse]

bookmark to read later

[driftless]

One thing omitted in this largely excellent article is the fact that neanderthal leftism is so inculcated in many Europeans (and American leftists as well), that many of these nuts are for NO!!! economic growth whatsoever. There are large amounts of lefties who believe that the unibomber life-style is the way to go. They'd have us all living in mud huts eating discarded tree-bark.

A great many lefties are positively economic-wise anti-growth. That is one large reason why they hate capitalism. Capitalism and free-markets mean growth. If everyone who wants a job has one, then what would they need lefties for? That is why lefties hate capitalism. Since lefties are for more control over peoples lives, ergo they are for more government.

[NZerFromHK]

You do have a point - I remember university leftists tend to be extremely post-modern and anti-economic growth types. Rosseau's noble savage seem to be the goal they are striving for.

In fact using this lens as a reference the Clintons and John Kerry and Co are remarkably right-wing. Rush Limbaugh? He could well have come from another planet. (Mars vs Venus) The type of academic leftism never gets enough votes in real-life - I suspect for leftists active in politics, even the true red ones like Dennis Kucinich, either know the noble savage idea is BS, or he well knowes this won't get him elected so he hides thsi real thing behind the "moderate" posteurings.

[driftless]

"The Beeb"

Many people in America can now get the Beeb ...as I do. I recently heard several people at work talking about how unbiased the BBC was...I kid you not. I didn't want to get into an argument because work rules actually forbid talking about politics in the workplace. Naturally this rule is many times broken. And the two people involved are regarded as not being particularly the brightest bulbs in the bank of lights. One is often referred to as Bubblehead. I like a lot of BBC America's entertainment programs, but even many of them are overladen with preachy leftist propaganda and pc plots. However there's always Benny Hill.

[NZerFromHK]

The Beeb was pretty decent during the 1990s before Tony Blair's New Labour government era. I remember in 1993/94 it produced a TV programme about the KGB's fellow travellers and spies among Western political circles, and in it it talked about the KGB's conspiracy and involvement in complicating the American civil rights movements. The programme also reported that a number of race riots in US cities in the late 1960s were the act of the Soviet intelligence service.

It has gone steeply downhill after 1997. Today it has an occasional drama worth watching, but forget about its news or documentaries.

[driftless]

I deliberately avoid watching the BBC news, and they don't show any docs on the service I receive. I remember watching a few of their drama programs including one (can't remember the title) involving Steven Tompkinson of Ballykissangel fame. He played a struggling teacher at an English university set in the early fifties. He was naturally a strong lefty while the antagonist was a right-wing ARTIST!!! for crying out loud. Sure, lots of right-wing artists in the art world (snicker).

Tompkinson was also in a movie (can't remember the title) about Brit coal miners thrown out of work during the early days of Thatcher's privatization programs. In one scene Tompkinson had a diatribe/soliloquy where he wished that someone would assassinate Thatcher. From those scenes I concluded that (1) Tompkinson was a raging lefty and (2) the BBC had an unusually large amount of deranged lefties working for them. One demurral: I'm not sure if the Beeb produced the flick about the coal miners.