The Fall (and Rise?) of Modern Conservatism

To all,

I'm taking a quick break from the Dorothy mania to slip in some thoughts I've had surrounding the emerging presidential race. I was originally going to send this off as an e-mail to Seth and Dad, but I figured some others might be interested (more in the articles attached than in my words). I'm also interested in some comments and opinions on the topic. Anyways, if political gab is not your cup of tea, wait a few more days and I'm sure will have another Dorothy post.

While political pundits and writers have been foreseeing harsh times for Republicans for quite a while now, it seems that there has been a particularly fierce flurry of eulogies for modern conservatism and the Republican Party in the last couple of days. It seems that the the huge the Republican House candidate suffered in Mississippi revealed more than ever than something has gone wrong with the GOP (and while all don't fully blame Pres. Bush and Karl Rove, they're clearly identified as the final straw that broke the camel's, or the elephant's , back, in this case).

What got me excited about these columns is they seem to hit on my current political frustrations: I'm wary of most liberal solutions and ideologies, but I feel so apathetic towards the conservative party that I want to vote for Obama just to vote for someone--anyone--that seems different and new. Clinton is out of the question because her politics exist in campaigning only, and I'm not convinced that McCain will really do anything much different than Bush--I've also been wary, as David Brooks has pointed out, of his lack of driving political philosophy. He seems to be more reactive than proactive. And while Obama is generally too liberal for my taste, and I'm not totally convinced of his "post-partisan" rhetoric, he definitely would be a change, and a change for change's sake doesn't sound all that bad at this point.

But the glimmer of hope these articles point too--especially David Brook's column--is that there's possibly a "new conservatism" on the rise, as evidenced by the Conservative Party's big wins in England. It's a new approach that is not merely aimed for smaller government, but smarter government, one that recognizes problems like global warming and health care can benefit from market influences but they need a smarter policy than laissez-faire. And I'm not talking about conservatism dressed as liberalism, but a balanced mixture of positive government with personal responsibility. As the New Yorker article pointed out, most Republicans are so wary of government, they sometimes don't lead or govern at all, leading to lazy leadership. I'm anxious to see how this new conservativism takes form, if it can inspire young thinkers to commit to a form of conservative, "positive" government, and if older members of the GOP can come around to it. The article from The New Yorker--whose writer can barely conceal his glee that the GOP is currently biting the dust--references a few new books that I'm excited to look into which discuss new ideas for the GOP to rally around. A few that I'm partial towards--higher children tax credits, which will not only help low-income families but ensure tax cuts help that need it most, while also help stymying abortions because unwed, expecting mothers would feel less hopeless about their financial prospects. Another one that Cal Thomas mentions is greater support for micro-loan programs to help people rise from poverty through their small buisness (this is more of a global political issue than a national, but still an example of how personal initiative mixed with an infrastructure's support can pay dividends, see kiva.org).

All this makes me think that a loss--perhaps even a huge, devastating loss--for Republicans in November might be the best thing for its vitality. Pres. Bush has led two (albeit successful) campaigns that focused on scraping together a strong enough majority base to win and then changing plans once he got into the White House (anyone remember "compassionate conservative"?) This cut-throat style has left conservatives' creativity and ingenuity exhausted--there are no new answers to new problems.
Anyways, the point to my rant (and I'm pretty sure I do have one) is that conservatives need a renewed sense of purpose and direction to win this country's--and my--vote in the future. Ironically, it's taken serious competition by the Democrats to reveal the GOP's weaknesses--Republican's trust in market forces and competition has come to back to bite them. I encourage you to read some of the articles below--the best ones I've placed near the top. And I'd love to hear your comments on what conservatives need to do to get their groove back.



http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/09/opinion/09brooks.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/declarations.html

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/05/26/080526fa_fact_packer?currentPage=all

http://www.calthomas.com/index.php?news=2184




These are some related columns and editorials.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/15/AR2008051503543_2.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121080704069593315.html?mod=loomia&loomia_si=t0:a16:g2:r3:c0.192899

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121089477887396975.html?mod=loomia&loomia_si=t0:a16:g2:r1:c0.156316