Goldwater Lives On
Every once in a while I turn out to be wrong. That may come as a shock to some of you. Some of you probably think it is only once in a while that I turn out to be right. One thing about me though, when I know I'm wrong, I admit it. I don't put spin on it or try to repair the damage. And a few weeks ago, I was wrong.
I said the conservative movement in America was dead. I was wrong. It is alive and well and it is gaining momentum.
Right now it appears things are in complete turmoil for the conservative movement. The President's poll numbers are down. The recent hurricanes have led to unprecedented promises of federal aid for the victims. By the media's portrayal, the Iraq War is going poorly (even though I think the recent draft constitution and elections aren't too shabby). The President's Supreme Court Nominee had to withdraw her name in embarrassment. Tom Delay was indicted And on top of it all the White House is wrapped up in a media manufactured scandal over the pre-war intelligence. All of this suggests the conservative movement has no direction and is on the verge of complete collapse.
But hidden behind the recent headlines is clear evidence that conservatives still have the power to influence politicians and force their will. When Tom Delay said there was no more pork to cut from the federal budget, conservative budget watchdog groups quickly condemned the statement. Now the new federal budget in the Senate is laced with spending and tax cuts.
When the President nominated Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court, he asked conservatives to "trust me". When asked for her qualifications, we were told "she's an evangelical" as if we should all be reassured that she will vote against abortion. For true conservatives, this was exactly what we didn't want. For years we have been railing against judges who legislate from the bench. Nominating a judge that would legislate in our favor was a gross misread of the conservative position. The argument for true conservatives is not that abortion is murder. That is the argument of the religious right. For true conservatives, the argument is that abortion should be left up to the state legislatures to decide. So when they smelled a nominee who would simply outlaw abortion, they worked to correct the situation. Many prominent conservatives either openly spoke out against the nomination or silently witheld their support. As a result, the President was forced to withdraw his nomination and replace Miers with Alito, a proven conservative with a long track record of upholding the strict constructionist view of the constitution.
Adding to the strength displayed by the conservative movement is the complete implosion by the democratic party. Conservatives understand that political movements are created and fueled by ideas. Liberals have forgotten this. They seem to think their only options are to obstruct and undermine. Their stunt in shutting down the Senate this week illustrates how futile their position is. They have no plan. They have no ideas. All they can do is promise their best to stop the republicans. This is good for conservatives, but bad for America because right now we are only getting one side of the argument out there.
The mistake I made in declaring the conservative movement dead was assuming that President Bush was the head conservative. He is not. There is no head of the conservative movement. Conservativism is an ideology, not a political party or a religion. It is a way of thinking and a way of life. Conservativism is about freedom, equal opportunity, limited government and personal responsibility. These are ideas that people can identify with. It is bigger than any one person or group of people. It has grown considerably in the past years and it will continue to grow. Of this I am now confident.
I said the conservative movement in America was dead. I was wrong. It is alive and well and it is gaining momentum.
Right now it appears things are in complete turmoil for the conservative movement. The President's poll numbers are down. The recent hurricanes have led to unprecedented promises of federal aid for the victims. By the media's portrayal, the Iraq War is going poorly (even though I think the recent draft constitution and elections aren't too shabby). The President's Supreme Court Nominee had to withdraw her name in embarrassment. Tom Delay was indicted And on top of it all the White House is wrapped up in a media manufactured scandal over the pre-war intelligence. All of this suggests the conservative movement has no direction and is on the verge of complete collapse.
But hidden behind the recent headlines is clear evidence that conservatives still have the power to influence politicians and force their will. When Tom Delay said there was no more pork to cut from the federal budget, conservative budget watchdog groups quickly condemned the statement. Now the new federal budget in the Senate is laced with spending and tax cuts.
When the President nominated Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court, he asked conservatives to "trust me". When asked for her qualifications, we were told "she's an evangelical" as if we should all be reassured that she will vote against abortion. For true conservatives, this was exactly what we didn't want. For years we have been railing against judges who legislate from the bench. Nominating a judge that would legislate in our favor was a gross misread of the conservative position. The argument for true conservatives is not that abortion is murder. That is the argument of the religious right. For true conservatives, the argument is that abortion should be left up to the state legislatures to decide. So when they smelled a nominee who would simply outlaw abortion, they worked to correct the situation. Many prominent conservatives either openly spoke out against the nomination or silently witheld their support. As a result, the President was forced to withdraw his nomination and replace Miers with Alito, a proven conservative with a long track record of upholding the strict constructionist view of the constitution.
Adding to the strength displayed by the conservative movement is the complete implosion by the democratic party. Conservatives understand that political movements are created and fueled by ideas. Liberals have forgotten this. They seem to think their only options are to obstruct and undermine. Their stunt in shutting down the Senate this week illustrates how futile their position is. They have no plan. They have no ideas. All they can do is promise their best to stop the republicans. This is good for conservatives, but bad for America because right now we are only getting one side of the argument out there.
The mistake I made in declaring the conservative movement dead was assuming that President Bush was the head conservative. He is not. There is no head of the conservative movement. Conservativism is an ideology, not a political party or a religion. It is a way of thinking and a way of life. Conservativism is about freedom, equal opportunity, limited government and personal responsibility. These are ideas that people can identify with. It is bigger than any one person or group of people. It has grown considerably in the past years and it will continue to grow. Of this I am now confident.
posted by Mike at 8:26 AM
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