The culture war is over, and conservatives lost (Face it, Americans no longer agree with us)

Late last year, I criticized the notion that Barack Obama won re-election by buying off voters with "gifts."

In case you've forgotten, many conservatives had sought to explain away Mitt Romney's loss by reasoning that we had finally reached a tipping point where Americans were voting for candidates who supported the welfare state, based solely on their own pecuniary interests. And I argued that voters do want to be given something by Republican politicians: Hope, optimism, and vision.

But while I dismissed that premise, there may be an even larger fundamental problem that should alarm conservatives even more: Too many Americans simply no longer agree with them on the merits.

We should have seen it coming. Back in 1999 — on the cusp of George W. Bush's presidency, and as Republicans controlled both chambers of Congress — conservative leader Paul Weyrich issued a controversial open letter declaring that conservatives "probably have lost the culture war."

As Weyrich wrote:

In looking at the long history of conservative politics, from the defeat of Robert Taft in 1952, to the nomination of Barry Goldwater, to the takeover of the Republican Party in 1994, I think it is fair to say that conservatives have learned to succeed in politics. That is, we got our people elected.

But that did not result in the adoption of our agenda. The reason, I think, is that politics itself has failed. And politics has failed because of the collapse of the culture. The culture we are living in becomes an ever-wider sewer. In truth, I think we are caught up in a cultural collapse of historic proportions, a collapse so great that it simply overwhelms politics.

In recent months, it has been especially depressing to be a conservative. In the past, one could more easily endure the ranting of liberal commentators by taking solace that — outside of New York City and Washington, D.C. — most of the country was center-right. Thus, whenever an elite liberal commentator said something fringy, one could always console himself by saying (or at least thinking): "I hope you push that idea, because you'll keep losing elections in real America."

Today, conservatives have made a shocking discovery: They are the ones in danger of appearing out of touch with middle America.

Weyrich, it turns out, might have been a Cassandra. At the time, of course, his letter was criticized by many of his conservative friends, who had, after all, toiled in the trenches for years to elect Ronald Reagan. They were still optimistic that we were on the verge of some sort of permanent governing majority that would allow a new leader to finish what Reagan started. But today, it looks as though Weyrich was quite prescient.

To be sure, his idea wasn't entirely original. Years earlier, the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan observed, "The central conservative truth is that it is culture, not politics, that determines the success of a society." Years later, Andrew Breitbart would popularize this notion, and introduce it to a new generation of conservatives. But Weyrich was making an observation at a time when it would have been easy to dismiss such reflection as premature — or even pessimistic. (Indeed, many of his contemporaries did exactly that.)

Predictably, conservatives tended to ignore this inconvenient truth about the culture, persuading themselves that winning elections — and ostensibly passing conservative laws (though they did that less frequently) — were what mattered. (Or maybe it was that they convinced themselves that because they could win elections — because the American public supported their politics — it implied a "silent majority" of Americans were still traditional, salt-of-the-earth types.)

In the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, Republicans did quite well electorally. Simultaneously, however, our society became coarser, more permissive, less traditional, and more socially liberal. And while politicians won elections, our young people turned to Hollywood for guidance. For every Republican elected, there were 10 films or songs (many of them quite good, actually) selling sex, drugs, and violence. Of course, this all comes down to that clichéd line about the breakdown of the family unit. It's clichéd because it's true.

Now: In the wake of the House GOP's capitulation on the Senate-passed fiscal cliff bill (which does nothing to rein in entitlement spending), some prominent conservatives are beginning to notice that today's electoral and public policy defeats are a natural byproduct of having lost the culture war.

For example, over at Red State, conservative commentator and blogger Erick Erickson argues, "Republicans should turn their attention toward — family." Erickson quotes Rick Santorum, who, during a 2012 Republican primary debate said:

The bottom line is we have a problem in this country, and the family is fracturing.

Over 40 percent of children born in America are born out of wedlock. How can a country survive if children are being raised in homes where it's so much harder to succeed economically? It's five times the rate of poverty in single-parent households than it is in two-parent homes. We can have limited government, lower tax — we hear this all the time, cut spending, limit the government, everything will be fine. No, everything's not going to be fine.

There are bigger problems at stake in America. And someone has got to go out there — I will — and talk about the things.

Democracy, of course, requires individuals who are moral and responsible. Strong families are the cure for much of what ails us. You pick the problem, and stronger families would probably render the solution moot. Consider a recent debate: We can put warning labels on violent games and movies, but that won't replace mom and dad being involved in their children's lives and being aware of what they are watching.

Conservatives have largely lost the culture, and it can't be won back by passing some landmark piece of legislation. Instead, it's going to be a long, hard slog. The good news is that, though conservatives typically hate the term "reactionary," most conservative victory is first predicated on liberal overreach.

It may be that if things get bad enough, America will finally start looking inward.

Matt K. Lewis writes for The Daily Caller and co-hosts The DMZ on Bloggingheads.tv.

Thanks, dear onyx, for the reminder.

I came across these prayers/quotes I'd previously saved. Thought they might prove useful, in these days...

Thomas Jefferson
 A Prayer for the Nation
Almighty God, Who has given us this good land for our heritage; We humbly beseech Thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of Thy favor and glad to do Thy will. Bless our land with honorable ministry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion, from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people, the multitude brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endow with Thy spirit of wisdom those whom in Thy name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that through obedience to Thy law, we may show forth Thy praise among the nations of the earth. In time of prosperity fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in Thee to fail; all of which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Washington D.C., March 4, 1801
-Thomas Jefferson, as quoted in “The Life and Selected Writings of Thomas Jefferson” (NY: Random House, 1944), p.341

"You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We'll preserve for our children this the last best hope of man on earth or we'll sentence them to take the last step into a thousand years of darkness."-- Ronald Reagan

"If ever time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin"-- Samuel Adams 1783

"We Recognize No Sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus!"-- John Adams 1775

"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians, not on religion but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We shall not fight alone. God presides over the destinies of nations."-- Patrick Henry 1776

Strong families are the cure for much of what ails us. You pick the problem, and stronger families would probably render the solution moot.

Very true. Which is why the family has been under such attack for so many years. It began in Hollywood with the sit-coms that showed Dad as the bumbling fool, and Mom as the wise person. The feminists followed on that with an all out war against men, encouraging young women to take as much advantage of men as the men had taken of them. Why shouldn't young women sleep around as much as men; it will make them strong, according to Betty Friedan and her 'sisters'.

This meant, also, that women who were chained in that medieval institution known as marriage needed to be liberated, so divorce laws came under attack, and women left their husbands in droves, in the 70s. This is the main reason there were so many poor families with women as heads of households in the 80s.

Of course with easy divorce, and no problems 'shacking up', marriage became irrelevant to many, and with the culture pop tarts having babies without the benefit of marriage, why shouldn't the teenaged girls who idolize them? Of course those teenagers didn't have multi-millions to support themselves and their children, so they simply joined their divorced older sisters and mothers in the welfare lines.

It has been coming for a long time.

I admire you and your family and your values. Those folks that you are referring to will either see the light, change their ways because they will get sick and tired of the cesspool they are wallowing in...it pays so few rewards in the end, and sometimes even the stupid smarten up and want something better. I’m hoping and praying that this happens.

**
Honestly, I’m no saint. I chose this lifestyle because I grew up in one that was pretty opposite of the one I live now. My parents divorced when I was 9 or so, cheated on each other, remarried both multiple times. I endured abuse from stepparents, and watched both of them live miserable lives for years due to their decisions. Both died too young and not at all happy.

I just simply did not want to go down their path. I ended up really not admiring people who were slimy, sleazy, or immoral. I prefer good people and I choose to raise my kids in a wholesame and safe environment. I’ve LIVED in that hell ...and it’s just really not all that enjoyable. I don’t get why it’s enjoyable to so many AMericans, although perhaps SOMETHING is making it enjoyable for them ....or they just feel oppressed and can’t figure out a way to escape it.

To me, education and hard work was how I escaped it. Nothing that isn’t available to everyone ...I just do NOT get how people continue to wallow ... there are more ways to escape it now than there EVER have been ....I guess there are just a lot more temptations also.

I find solace in prayer, old time movies, like “Going My Way” and books and of course my family and my good friends here.

**
Have also been fascinated with a number of old movies lately as well.

Was watching one last night with a teenage Shirley Temple. Don’t even know what the title was. So many themes ran through this movie: respect for parents, respect for the FATHER of the home (young girl took her father’s coat and hung it up when he came home from work ...a simple gesture of respect.) Mother was in the home, available, gentle — respect for military, PRAYER before meals, belief in God, etc. Just unbelievable how movies and culture has changed .... and it was not like women were disrespected ...more men delighted in them, and cherished them.

I KNOW that there were bad family situtions with overly dominieering fathers and women who were abused ....but don’t we STILL have those societal ills? What have we traded and what have we gotten in return for leaving these values behind in the name of progress? Is it really worth it for women to bust their butts all day at work just to slog home and be half there for their kids? (I ask MYSELF this question all the time!)

But, yes, watching the “old days” is highly therapeutic, but also highly tear inducing at times. I can’t even make it through an old Walton’s episode anymore without bawling, thinking of days gone by.

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