Potus
Potus2036
Jr. Member
Posts: 1,841
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« on: February 29, 2016, 01:30:11 PM » |
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It is worthwhile for us conservatives to look to our movement's past in times like these. For years and years, the Republican Party was not monolithically conservative. Neither party was cleanly sliced up by ideology. Conservatives eventually won the day.
Parties are collections of interests. The menace of communism united religious, business, ideological, patriotic, and defense interests to defend the philosophy our country is built upon. American conservatism is the product of that unity. Unfortunately, the unity of our interests are coming apart at the seams. The hardcore conservatives spend much of their time fighting business and defense interests as if they're opponents of fiscal stability. Business interests fire back at the ideologues. A large segment of what we once thought of as religious interests are becoming more characterized by their populism and class than by faith. Deeply patriotic individuals get angry with business and defense interests as well.
What conservative can win? George W. Bush won as an American conservative. He was a tax-cutting, pro-military evangelical who wasn't afraid defend our country's citizens, morals, and honor. He united the far flung interests that make American conservatism a force to be reckoned with.
But we're a ways away from being able to make our party the vehicle of American conservatism. Buckley always said the nature of conservatism in a modern society was a guerrilla one. We can't jettison the party just because our chosen candidates didn't win or we nominated someone not within our ideological preference.
During times like these, just remember that the National Review supported Nixon.
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