Posted on 11/10/2008 11:38:18 AM PST by Publius804
November 10, 2008
Here Comes the Conservative Civil War
By Rod Dreher
And so, with a resounding, bone-rattling crash, the conservative era ends. Now the scattered and demoralized armies of the right will turn on each other with such ferocity it will make the brutal opening scene of Gladiator look like a slap fight at a slumber party. It's about to get mercenary in the woodshed.
Who lost conservatism? The first instinct among shell-shocked and infuriated partisans will be to blame anybody but their own faction for this historical repudiation. Look to the talk-radio mob to set upon conservative elites who failed to stay loyally on side, especially in the matter of Sarah Palin's candidacy. This will do nobody any good and will delay the necessary repentance, rethinking and rebuilding.
The right has developed a vicious habit of tagging any dissenting conservative as a closet liberal. This folly has constructed an airtight bubble around the GOP and conservative leaders, not only depriving conservatism of constructive criticism from within its ranks, but also reinforcing the rank-and-file's worst instincts. If the election results didn't convince Republicans that they couldn't afford to throw people out - especially their intellectuals and people who respect intellect - then their ignorance is invincible.
(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...
a “civil war” might not be such a bad thing, rid ourselves of some bad blood and shake out the movement. Once that’s done we can retreat into the shadows, lick our wounds, and come back stronger than ever.
We never had it in the race for President!
ping
And Rod Dreher should be one of the first up against the wall, with his “crunchy conservative” BS, but not before that other great conservative, Andrew Sullivan!
Yup. A lot of intelligentsia seem to miss that tidbit.
Huh. And I thought the Reign of the RINOs was over.
He's definitely not a real Conservative the way he's prattling on about "intellectuals" and such.
Conservatism, Fur Shur, rejects the notion that there needs to be a "Vanguard of the Proletariat" that centralizes and consumes all thought for society. Ergo, it's necessary to repudiate the claims Rod Dreher is making.
A lesson ~ "by their fruits ye shall know them".
You gotta start defining ‘Conservative’ before the fighting begins.
More so, it’s Repubs vs. Conservatives.
You have to define a tent before you decide to let people in.
The author is clueless. Every pro-gay marriage issue on the ballots failed Tuesday. The courts are the ones ordaining gay marriage, not the people.
This is bs.
“..rid ourselves of some bad blood and shake out the movement.”
Any pundit associated with the right who collaborated with the left during the election should be ostracized and not make another cent off of us. Noonan, Frum, Parker, Derbyshire, Will...dead.
1992-1994. Our party turned into a party we were proud of. Get together Armey and the others to tell us how that happened, I know some heads rolled, they have to. We cannot survive with the action the republican elected have taken, half the problem leaves in January.
While Obama with his goodie bag keeps marching forward. I don't think we have much time.
So, the answer, according to Rod Dreher, is to simply stop being conservatives.
Yeah...brilliant.
Really? What does this tool suggest we jettison? Pro-Lifers. Fiscal Conservatives, fans of the Constitution as it's written?
What a d!ck.
Isn’t this the former conservative congressman from California with the gay lover?
Who is this idiot?
“This folly has constructed an airtight bubble around the GOP and conservative leaders”
I got news for this birdbrain. The GOP leadership and Conservative leadership are NOT THE SAME. Unless somehow the fools that shoved the socilaist bailout down our throats and tried mightily to shove amnesty down are throats are being fantasized as conservatives.
Senator McCain wanted to go down with the ship so he started looking for an iceberg. His refusal to employ an intelligent strategy against Obama was his public falling on his sword, his choice of Governor Palin as running mate was the choice of an attractive shield to carried home on.
He was architect of his own destruction and proved many things to the next, Republican candidate. He was stubborn so needed to prove public financing of campaigns worked, he was hoist by his own petard. He refused to attack Obama’s Achille’s HEELS; Wright, Pleger, Farrakhan, liberalism, on and on.
Until the RNC closes it’s open primaries and prevents all but the base to choose it’s candidate, it will only get worse.
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