Ceaser on the End of Conservatism Movement
Posted by Peter Lawler
ALL the studies show that all "end of" authors are always wrong. The liberals and allegedly recovering conservatives who are trumpeting conservatism’s demise are too ideological about "ideology" and forget that the great conservative Burke would regard pragmatism as yet another pernicious "ism."
11:59 AM / February 25, 2009
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No commentary on events of last night?
Dan, really, what is there to say? Were you surprised about anything in that speech?
Peter's right about those "studies"...well, he's simply right, which is why I refused to even glance at that ridiculously titled TNR essay by Tannenhaus. Titles like that just scream TIRED THINKING.
Lilla's another story--there's a man you can learn from even when he's on a hopelessly wrong tack...
And as for Jim's take-down of these essays, well, I think I'd rather read him riff on about the special word of the hour, "Pragmatism," than bother with these tired pieces. Here's what I liked:
"But denouncing a stance that takes a great first principle seriously as 'ideology' without exploring the merits of that principle would seem almost as unreasonable as defining pragmatism as a position without principles that embraces change for change's sake." (Gotta love that 'almost as.')
"The end of conservative authors seek to create for themselves a neutral perch from which they can peer down and pronounce a priori objective judgments, calling, for example, a John Boehner or a Mitch McConnell an ideologue and a Nancy Pelosi or a Harry Reid a pragmatist. Pragmatism is the magic word to describe what liberals want, but do not want to argue for."
You Betcha!
Yeah seriously Dr. Lawler where is the commentary on the speech, shame on you as a blogger.