The Conservative Mind

[Etaoin]

POLITICAL THOUGHT

The Conservative Mind
The American right is a cauldron of debate; the left isn't.

BY PETER BERKOWITZ
Tuesday, May 29, 2007 12:01 a.m. EDT
The left prides itself on, and frequently boasts of, its superior appreciation of the complexity and depth of moral and political life. But political debate in America today tells a different story.
On a variety of issues that currently divide the nation, those to the left of center seem to be converging, their ranks increasingly untroubled by debate or dissent, except on daily tactics and long-term strategy. Meanwhile, those to the right of center are engaged in an intense intra-party struggle to balance competing principles and goods. One source of the divisions evident today is the tension in modern conservatism between its commitment to individual liberty, and its lively appreciation of the need to preserve the beliefs, practices, associations and institutions that form citizens capable of preserving liberty. The conservative reflex to resist change must often be overcome, because prudent change is necessary to defend liberty. Yet the tension within often compels conservatives to wrestle with the consequences of change more fully than progressives--for whom change itself is often seen as good, and change that contributes to the equalization of social conditions as a very important good.


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[HomeschoolrsRUs]

I agree, and will go further to add my own thoughts. Liberals swim on the surface of the ocean of life, caring not for what really goes on underneath, nor on the other side of the seas. They care only about what effect their ship can have on the immediate waters around them, protecting those that would harm others (so as to keep their teeth away from their own bottoms).

Conservatives care enough to encourage and engage in debate, because without it, complexity of issues could overpower and overwhelm, causing those at the helm to steer in the wrong directions. There NEEDS to be full disclosure, rigorous debate -- a testing, such as metal in a fire to eliminate impurity, flaw, and imperfection.

Liberals/progressives cannot be bothered by what actually works, or even seeking to find it ... they live only for the moment, providing immediate results (the consequences be irrelevant), a quick fix designed to placate emotion, appearance, and feelings.

[noncom]

There are a great many things about which reasonable people can disagree... And then there is liberalism.

It makes no sense to portray liberals as a valid "counter point" when they have no point of their own. For all practical purposes, liberals don't really have positions - good or bad; liberalism is essentially the id's way of making itself feel better about itself; it's the antithesis of common sense and reason, and it is absolutely nothing else besides that.

I wish someone would start a conservative talk show which is precisely that: a show where conservatives get together and discuss issues among themselves. I know I'd sure as hell want to watch that.

Shows like Hannity and Colmes annoy the hell out of me. Thirty years ago, I would have thanked God for a political program that only wasted HALF of my time. But we live in the information age now, and I simply do not have the patience to listen to someone who plays the narcissists' advocate - as if we needed another one of those on the airwaves.

And most single-host conservative shows are nearly as bad. They spend 90% of their time quoting, responding to, and arguing with moonbats. That's the wrong approach. Liberals have only one real goal: to be validated. And they would cease to exist if we could finally manage to stop taking them seriously and stop centering our political discussions around them.

Think about it: in the real world, liberals exist as parasites upon conservatives; in the media that relationship is effectively reversed. We need to show the world that liberals are irrelevant. And we can't do that as long as we rely upon them to energize us when it comes to speaking out in public.

[DesertFox]

Well said, noncom. Neville Chamberlain was perhaps the original modern liberal. He ignored reality until it slapped his ass down.

Oddly, Hitler's conduct of WWII in the East also embodied denial. When a situation didn't agree with Hitler, he ignored it until the Russians forced his hand, and then he blamed the generals for failing to hold the line.

That's the way liberals deal with things. They ignore harsh realities until it's impossible any longer, and then they blame conservatives for being mean-spirited.

The Greeks said character is destiny. I think they were right. That's why we keep seeing stupidity rise up in human affairs, and insist on center stage until those with real character slap it down and make it shut the f*ck up. Then another generation comes along and the whole thing plays out again.