Posted on 05/13/2009 8:01:25 AM PDT by steve-b
I sense intellectual deterioration of the once-vital conservative movement in the United States. As I shall explain, this may be a testament to its success....
My theme is the intellectual decline of conservatism, and it is notable that the policies of the new conservatism are powered largely by emotion and religion and have for the most part weak intellectual groundings. That the policies are weak in conception, have largely failed in execution, and are political flops is therefore unsurprising. The major blows to conservatism, culminating in the election and programs of Obama, have been fourfold: the failure of military force to achieve U.S. foreign policy objectives; the inanity of trying to substitute will for intellect, as in the denial of global warming, the use of religious criteria in the selection of public officials, the neglect of management and expertise in government; a continued preoccupation with abortion; and fiscal incontinence in the form of massive budget deficits, the Medicare drug plan, excessive foreign borrowing, and asset-price inflation.
By the fall of 2008, the face of the Republican Party had become Sarah Palin and Joe the Plumber. Conservative intellectuals had no party....
There are signs and portents of liberal excess in the policies and plans of the new administration. There will thus be plenty of targets for informed conservative critique. At this writing, however, the conservative movement is at its lowest ebb since 1964. But with this cardinal difference: the movement has so far succeeded in shifting the center of American politics and social thought that it can rest, for at least a little while, on its laurels.
(Excerpt) Read more at becker-posner-blog.com ...
Steve-b you are hopeless.
Stopped right there.
I can point to the 850,000 good folks who protested on Tax Day... and just you wait until July 4th when EVERYONE is off work!!
Are you kidding? The lid is going to blow off the pressure cooker if people don’t start listening and soon.
In 2000, the exact same thing could have been said about liberalism. Now liberals run the White House, Senate and House.
This author makes some good points...don’t agree about global warming though. Also, Joe the plumber has left the GOP...can’t stand this guy anyway and he is from my state.
I haven’t wanted to choke the ever-loving shit out of someone for a few days....
I sense intellectual deterioration of the once-vital conservative movement in the United StatesAbsolutely.
Just another hit piece on Palin and the hayseed idiots in fly-over country (aka Joe the Plumber).
What exactly will this accomplish?...the time, money and energy would be better spent on a grassroots movement that sought to field and elect more GOP/conservatives at both the state and the national level. Tea parties are fun...no doubt, but we need more than a feel good movement.
You have it bass-ackwards Mr. POSner.
Western civilization owes its very existence to the graces of Christianity. Fact: Everything from property rights, our legal system, our education system (to name just a few) eminates from the Gospel.
It's the seculars and their crap-filled minds, souls and hearts who are destroying all that is good because they are so arrogant to think the can outsmart history, our forefathers and God himself.
I don’t think it’s losing anything...maybe going “underground” so to speak, but not hopeless.
No. Not with “Liberty and Tyranny” No. 1 on the NYSlimes Bestseller List.
Oh! many democrats are too.. you cannot trust the democrat party and its becoming obvious the republican party either..
Puleeese.. John McLaim as prez candidate.. verses a Halfrican Marxist..
the inanity of trying to substitute will for intellect, as in the denial of global warming,”
******
Posner might as well stand on the rooftop and out himself as a tool. Try to be at least somewhat subtle when you’re promoting this statist agenda.
Ah. I see. So conservatism should simply become liberalism, and it will become successful.
emotion and religion
What is liberalism (such as AGW) but emotion and (secular/pagan) religion?
Yes, conservatives embrace traditional religion. We don't want it replaced with the religion of the State. Apparently, this guy does.
LOL It ain't easy is it?
Really? Which ones? Would Hayek have missed what was happening? Would Von Mise? The fact is that people who were aware of what was happening did try to sound the alarm.
Moderate Repubs were unable to explain what was happening if they saw it, and Dems are using it as an opportunity to take the very actions that caused the debacle and ramp them all the way past the red line.
This is an example in which "moderate" "bipartisan" conservatism theatens to kill us. Not to sanctify Joe the Plumber or Sarah Palin either one, but since you brought them up, I'd predict that they both have a better feel for how we got here and what we have to do to get out than any of the GOP grandees.
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