Comments on: MOVEMENT CONSERVATIVES vs. THE PRAGMATISTS: THE BATTLE IS JOINED

By: SJ Reidhead

SJ Reidhead — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 02:08:37 +0000

Excellent work.

SJR
The Pink Flamingo

By: Richard bottoms

Richard bottoms — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:10:35 +0000

John Said:
5:53 pm

the original article is now located at:

http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/conservatism-dead

How did this happen? One reason is that the most intellectually sophisticated founders of postwar conservatism were in many instances ex-Marxists, who moved from left to right but remained persuaded that they were living in revolutionary times and so retained their absolutist fervor. In place of the Marxist dialectic they formulated a Manichaean politics of good and evil, still with us today, and their strategy was to build a movement based on organizing cultural antagonisms. Many have observed that movement politics most clearly defines itself not by what it yearns to conserve but by what it longs to destroy–”statist” social programs; “socialized medicine”; “big labor”; “activist” Supreme Court justices, the “media elite”; “tenured radicals” on university faculties; “experts” in and out of government.

So basically a bunch of Marxists joined the right-wing conservative movement forty years ago, took it over and almost destroyed America from the inside?

You’ve got to wonder if ex-Marxists like David Horowitz aren’t really still a part of the Brotherhood of Evil Muntants and that he, as Magneto is having a glass of wine every night saying to himself “suckers”.

By: Doug King

Doug King — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:04:16 +0000

When differences arise, it’s easier to lecture than to listen and compromise. If conservatives hope to influence the direction of government, they must somehow reconcile differences and present a positive agenda to the public. My fear is that Republicans would rather focus on regaining control than go through the hard work of finding essential principles worth fighting for. Right now, the two political parties act like the “Spy versus Spy” cartoons in Mad Magazine. They’re so preoccupied destroying each other they’ve lost sight of their political mission, which isn’t to govern but to govern well. The purist and pragmatist factions within the GOP may be headed down the same road.

I would love to see more civil discussion and debate within the GOP about the great issues such as health care, immigration, social security, and defense. One reason I value this blog is that I learn things from people who think differently than me. The GOP needs a balance between principle and Realpolitik. It will die if it does not recover that balance. And it has to start with RESPECT for each other.

By: John

John — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 23:53:07 +0000

the original article is now located at:

http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/conservatism-dead

By: funny man

funny man — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 21:50:09 +0000

It is quite instructive to just look at all the love Ruffinini got at HotAir. So the basic story line is as follows: there is the evil left and the RINO traitors (all elitist, of course) and here are the true conservatives, fighting in the trenches, defending freedom, Rush and Sarah, real men and women (not sissys like all those East Coast country club conservatives) who don’t need any of this intellectual babbling to know what is right from wrong. I’d call that attitude pretty arrogant and elitist!

However, surprisingly I’m pretty optimistic that sound minds will prevail because ultimately most of this is really nothing more than Hot Air. It will just play itself out. What are they going to do? Drive Olympia Snowe from her Senate seat to be replaced by….? Not a lot of clear thinking here.