First of all, I, Justin Bradshaw, am not a conservative.
I believe in progress and not in keeping things the way they are (or were).
But I respect my conservative friends for their convictions and defend their right to have them… but it’s here that I see a widening gap and a higher difficulty of my own to actually respect some “conservative” viewpoints. Let me explain:
I thought that conservative meant that you believed in small government and objectivist notions like personal responsibility and fiscal restraint. That’s what Ronald Reagan and William F Buckley believed in at least. That’s what my true conservative friends seem to stress when they talk about politics. And guess what? I hold a lot of those convictions too! I, too want a government that runs like an efficient business (minus the ruthless pursuit of profit) and I, too think people should take responsibility for themselves and not ask for handouts from the government. But I feel like over the past 6-10 years with Bush, Cheney etc that we’ve lost that Buckley/Reagan sense of conservatism. This has a name, by the way: NeoConservatism… and it’s led us into pre-emptive and misguided wars, deregulated the banking system to point of failure, and neglected our future environmental interests in favor of short term business profits. But most of all, this Bush movement has favored the social conservatives over the fiscal conservatives: We’ve been led by a guy who thinks he speaks to God and honest churchgoing people have been rallied to the Republican side in droves for fear of gays, abortion and all kinds of real and made-up issues.
It all came to a head with the nomination of Sarah Palin. McCain wasn’t getting the “evangelical” vote so he had to pick a person who would. He wasn’t getting the woman vote so he had to pick a person who would. This is a sad gimmick that isn’t going to work… because this time the true conservatives are actually standing up against it instead of blithely defending her and her lack of experience.
Now you’re probably thinking, what’s so new about this? Why write about this now? Well I believe that the pendulum is shifting to the left in this country in a big way with this election and that this is one of the biggest reasons. We’re sick of Bush and the evangelicals running our country! We’re sick of ideology and god-fearing-ness trumping intelligence and experience!
And the best part? I now get to include some very prominent Republican conservatives in this list! We already saw Ron Reagan, Jr. speak at the Democratic convention and openly support Obama. We’ve also seen Andrew Sullilvan, George Will, Kathleen Parker, David Brooks, Charles Krauthammer and more express severe doubts about Palin, and McCain. But now, praise jesus, the legacy of the greatest icon of modern conservatism change: William F. Buckley’s son, Christopher Buckeley, just endorsed Obama! If you don’t believe me, or want to know why, just read this brilliant post of his: “Sorry dad, I’m voting for Obama”.
To me, it seems like the nail in the coffin for John McCain and the NeoConservative “movement” and begs the question of my Republican friends: Which kind of conservative are you?
Please comment on this one!
justin
UPDATE 1: From the New York Magazine, here’s a great overall look at the Buckley phenomenon I’m now obsessed with. Maybe it will help moderate Republicans like my Dad see that he should vote with his liberal son on this one!
The former Reagan economic adviser Bruce Bartlett predicts, indeed, that the Republican primaries will turn into a Palin/Gingrich steel-cage death match
The capper cracks me up. I want to meet Christopher Buckley, he sounds like an awesome guy:
“The smart ones in the movement should get together right after the election at the Greenbrier or the Homestead, you know, where they typically have these kinds of get-togethers, and have a long dark night of the soul,” he says. “And I’ll tell you what the conference should be called: Conservatism—What the Fuck?”
UPDATE 2:
London’s Mayor, Boris Johnson lays out another good case for Obama:
If Obama wins, he will have established that being black is as relevant to your ability to do a hard job as being left-handed or ginger-haired, and he will have re-established America’s claim to be the last, best hope of Earth.
8 comments ↓
Hey, I agree that the choices of both these candidates were political. Obama less than McCain because he actually new and liked Biden unlike McCain who didn’t know her but one meeting at the time and who seems to get along fine with her. But I’m worried with two “mavericks” in the running. Any true conservatative whould probably vote for the Libertarian Party Candidate Bob Barr. But I actually want the country to get better so I’m with you in supporting Obama. Clearly McCain and Palin aren’t up for the major task at hand.
“The War is over…………….If you want it.”-John Lennon
I’m with you Justin. I don’t consider myself a Conservative. But is it still possible to be a Liberal Republican?
Jeff, you can be whatever you want, my friend… and sure, there are liberal republicans I guess… I don’t know any, that’s for sure.
Justin,
Perhaps a more appropriate question would be: What kind of liberal are you? I have had political conversations with you. In bars. In people’s homes. I know you to be a very thoughtful individual. That is what makes me so sad about this election. I truly cannot believe that my intelligent and thoughtful friends are sucked in to the leftist thuggery that is the Obama campaign. There is nothing liberal (in the true sense of the word) about this man. Liberal comes from the latin Liberalis or free man. Which of Obama’s policies have anything to do with being a free individual? I do not believe that the policies of the current administration or that of Congress have been good for this country. But I am not so blind as to completely ignore the horrific track record of this freshman senator to believe that he embodies any kind of change I wish to see in this country. He is for a huge expansion of the federal government. The federal government is broken. It does not achieve any of it goals. PERIOD. In addition, while not achieving any goal, it does so over budget and most often with negative consequences. I challenge you to provide me with one example of this not being the case and I may rethink my opinion. You have got blinders sewn onto your eyelids if you think this man with his policy and vote record not to mention his association with numerous criminals, thugs, and Chicago political low-lives is even remotely possible of doing anything outside of his own political self interest. OPEN YOU EYES. Neither of these candidates is good for the country. Neither is better the the other. There are miniscule social policies that differentiate the two but REAL CHANGE? Please. I would like to believe that you are smarter than that. I am not asking you to support McCain I am asking you to REALLY THINK. If you call yourself a liberal, if you say you are for the things you are for, then you cannot in good conscience be in support of either of these candidates.
Russel, first, thank you for your comment. It is appreciated… but not understood. I understand that you don’t think Obama represents change. I can’t tell if he’s not liberal enough for you or too “big government”. I strongly disagree that Obama’s Chicago political associations have anything to do with the way he would govern… including and especially Bill Ayers. If you believe those smears then you’ve got even bigger blinders on, my friend.
The Federal Government is indeed imperfect, though not “broken” as you say. If compared to the big banks and investment firms on Wall Street, it seems to be doing pretty well. In terms of “expansion”, the Bush Administration has done more to expand and bloat the beurocracy of the Federal Government than any administration in recent history and I fail to see how Obama could be worse. I hesitate to cite any Federal program’s success that you couldn’t rebut… for there are certainly more partial failures than outright successes… but the National Park system comes to mind. Our highway and transportation system seems to work pretty well, as does our military. Social Security still provides retirement benefits to millions of senior Americans, too… and while virtually every program one can cite could be improved by reform, removal or replacement (and I’ve got my own list of things to change) it seems defeatist to say that it’s all broken and beyond hope for change.
So I’d like to define my liberalism with a few principles. Equality, including equal opportunity is huge for me. A distrust for the status quo and conventional wisdom (which you seem to share) is also a factor in my thinking. I favor progress in human rights and a repudiation of traditional ways of thinking when those thoughts are discriminatory and unfair. I believe in personal responsibility and freedom but know that some problems (like Global Warming) are far to large for individuals to tackle alone. We need an organized and effective Federal Government that can nudge the private sector into doing the right thing even before it becomes profitable. I want the government to stay out of my bedroom, my spiritual life and the way I choose to have fun.
I’m a Libra Liberal who weighs the pros and cons of every argument (as evidenced by this blog) and even though we’ve spoken in person about some of these issues I’m not clear as to what you see as our positive way out of this mess.
Whether you like all of his policies or not, Obama has vision and the ability to lead and inspire us. He also shows an incredible affinity for deliberation and debate as well as an ability to reach across the aisle and adjust his policies without losing his convictions (offshore drilling would be a good example of this). These things will combine to bring about more positive change than we could have hoped for with Kerry in 2004… and that’s why I’m so excited.
oh, and by the way, I don’t see a bunch of liberals coming out in support of McCain. The point of this and several of my posts, is that there is a consensus forming around Obama among the most well educated and well informed people in the world… not just your friends…. and not just liberals. Lifelong and hereditary conservatives like Christopher Buckley are coming out for Obama and that’s not because they’ve got blinders on. It’s not just me.
one more thing: Russel’s disillusionment with his choices seems to me an example of a theory I blogged about weeks ago: http://smskullsessions.com/blog/archives/296
I agree with John F. Kennedy:
“If by a ‘Liberal’ they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people — their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties — someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a ‘Liberal,’ then I’m proud to say I’m a ‘Liberal.’
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_American_liberalism
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