Man, this is on point. My goal and yours is not to win elections but to advance conservative ideas. If there aren’t enough Americans to win elections for conservative ideas, the job of conservatives is to persuade our fellow citizens. That’s what Reagan did.
Too many populists adhere to a (very progressive) notion that because the base of the Republican Party “feels” a certain way, conservatives need to change their policy ideas to accommodate. To be frank, this is ludicrous. The respectful thing to do is not to change our ideas, but to persuade others that those ideas are correct and all American citizens are potentially persuadable (some are just harder than others). They are generally intelligent-enough and goodhearted enough that such persuasion is possible, even if we begin from radically different positions.
The only reason to change one’s ideas is if those ideas are wrong. If they are right, there is no reason to change them, not even if all the world is against one.
Awesome piece. "Something else is needed for that. That’s the conversation the rest of us need to be having." Absolutely. What is needed is an explicit Conservative Party whose primary goal is normalcy-away from the extremes of the personality of MAGA and the policies of the Squad. Even if, like all 3rd parties, it fails, it might, like the Free Soilers, have its concepts become doctrine of the post Trump GOP.
As per the origins of this current GOP? You touch on many great factors. Gary Hart was toxic in 1988. Bill Clinton was fine for 1992. W's expansion of Medicare, the largest in 40 years. But I think something snapped with Obama. In 2004 he was going to be uniter but by 2012 he was the divider who straw manned the GOP at every turn. And the failure of "establisment" (you are correct, very unfortunate term) figures such as McCain and Romney to stop him.
Man, this is on point. My goal and yours is not to win elections but to advance conservative ideas. If there aren’t enough Americans to win elections for conservative ideas, the job of conservatives is to persuade our fellow citizens. That’s what Reagan did.
Too many populists adhere to a (very progressive) notion that because the base of the Republican Party “feels” a certain way, conservatives need to change their policy ideas to accommodate. To be frank, this is ludicrous. The respectful thing to do is not to change our ideas, but to persuade others that those ideas are correct and all American citizens are potentially persuadable (some are just harder than others). They are generally intelligent-enough and goodhearted enough that such persuasion is possible, even if we begin from radically different positions.
The only reason to change one’s ideas is if those ideas are wrong. If they are right, there is no reason to change them, not even if all the world is against one.
Awesome piece. "Something else is needed for that. That’s the conversation the rest of us need to be having." Absolutely. What is needed is an explicit Conservative Party whose primary goal is normalcy-away from the extremes of the personality of MAGA and the policies of the Squad. Even if, like all 3rd parties, it fails, it might, like the Free Soilers, have its concepts become doctrine of the post Trump GOP.
As per the origins of this current GOP? You touch on many great factors. Gary Hart was toxic in 1988. Bill Clinton was fine for 1992. W's expansion of Medicare, the largest in 40 years. But I think something snapped with Obama. In 2004 he was going to be uniter but by 2012 he was the divider who straw manned the GOP at every turn. And the failure of "establisment" (you are correct, very unfortunate term) figures such as McCain and Romney to stop him.
Thanks I agree with your assessment. But I’ll have to hold my nose and vote a straight republican ticket