That some conservatives have become disillusioned with the GOP both in Virginia and nationally is no secret. The reasons are many and they seem to be growing with each passing day. But what to do about it?
In this American Conservative piece, Paul Weyrich and William Lind say there’s a whole heap of things to do, not all of which bode well for the GOP:
Real conservatism rejects all ideologies, recognizing them as armed cant. In their place, it offers a way of life built upon customs, traditions, and habits—themselves the products of the experiences of many generations. Because people are capable of learning over time, when they may do so in a specific, continuous cultural setting, the conservative way of life comes to reflect the prudential virtues: modesty, the dignity of labor, conservation and saving, the importance of family and community, personal duties and obligations, and caution in innovation. While these virtues tend to manifest themselves in most traditional societies, with variations conservatives usually value, they have had their happiest outcome in the traditional culture of the Christian West.
From this it follows that the next conservatism’s foremost task is defending and restoring Western, Judeo-Christian culture. Not only does this mean the next conservatism is cultural conservatism, it also tells us we must look beyond politics.
In looking “beyond politics,” takes Weyrich and Lind to culture, where they believe the true battle for a conservative future will be fought (though not, they say, coercively, but by example).
That many people, and not just conservatives, believe modern culture is a cesspool of corruption, the authors believe that countering its influence effectively means to turn ones back upon it. Who hasn’t had the inclination to toss the television off the roof (as they note Russell Kirk did)? Who hasn’t rolled their eyes over the wall-to-wall coverage of Anna Nicole’s death, or the latest L.A. car chase? I certainly have. Modern culture’s banality can be maddening and suffocating. But it’s also a reflection of who and what we are, or at least who and what the ratings tell the programmers we are. Does this mean we should march back, as Weyrich and Lind suggest, to a 1950s world, where communities were simpler, progress slower, and everyone’s children above average?
No. Such a world never really existed, at least not for the mass. If anything, this gentle age was golden only for some — while others suffered mightily and needlessly.
However much their yearning for the past strikes me as unreal, some of the ideas they put forward for a new conservative agenda are worth pondering — including an embrace of New Urbanism, a distancing from the automobile culture and a profound reshaping of the political culture. Are the authors skeptical of the political class? Oh yes:
Restoring the Republic requires breaking the monopoly of professional politicians and two parties that are for the most part one party—the Party of I’ve Got Mine. The next conservatism should promote increased use of ballot initiatives and referenda, term limits, putting “none of the above” on the ballot and requiring a new election with new candidates if it wins, and ending legalized bribery under the name of campaign contributions. Yes, they sell their votes. The two-party monopoly has generated a vast culture of corruption in Washington, and corruption is any republic’s deadliest enemy.
I can relate to much of this, having pursued (with assistance from Weyrich) the issue of term limits. There is a rot in the political class today. They are, as a group, profoundly shallow and unserious about the nature of the challenges and threats the nation faces. They are also, as a group, lacking in self-awareness, or even something as basic as common sense. None of this behaviour is new. And, to give them credit an ounce of credit, politicians no longer beat one-another senseless on the floor of the House or Senate (though the occasional weapons discharge behind office doors is still not unknown).
While this is just a part of the Weyrich/Lind thesis, it is representative of what is a much larger and far deeper disconnect between some conservatives and the world around them. For politicians, not just in Virginia, but nationwide, the possibility of these ideas gaining broad acceptance ought to be immediately troubling.
But I suspect they are not. We have to regulate teen cellphone use first. Then we’ll get to the big stuff. Just so long as it isn’t an election year.
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