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The Re-Death of Conservatism?
Many folks may not recall Sam Tanenhaus, a New York Times editor who wrote the celebrated 2009 cover story for the New Republic entitled Conservatism is Dead. Critics hailed it as “an intellectual autopsy of the movement” which lead to the book The Death of Conservatism (if you must read, barely used hardcover’s start at 1¢). The esteemed Upper-West Side elites whose superior intellect and selfless noble cause fêted Tanenhaus, whose work became the star of the political and media narrative. While many probably didn’t read the entire article (a not-quite-7,000 word treatise) the intellectual class was satisfied knowing that Tanenhaus attacked the Right’s most iconic leaders, from Friedman, Buckley, and Goldwater to Reagan and Gingrich in an effort to prove “What conservatives have yet to do is confront the large but inescapable truth that movement conservatism is exhausted and quite possibly dead.” With President Barack Obama in the White House, the Left nodded in pious agreement, clanking tumblers at 2009 NYC/DC cocktail circuits, singing “Ding-dong, conservatism is dead.”
Of course, Tanenhaus and the elites forgot to tell the voters. With the wave elections of 2010 and 2014, the GOP not only gained control of the House and Senate, but also governors’ mansions and state houses throughout the country. Except for the White House, conservatism was very much alive, strengthened by an enticing platform of holding back the progressive Obama agenda. Tanenhaus went back into his hole. Seven years later, though, America is facing a Sophie’s Choice election where voters on both sides will need Silkwood showers on November 9th. If the polls are correct (let’s be real, they usually are) the country is about to vote the first almost indicted, untrustworthy, corrupt female president into office. Though not quite a fait accompli, the fat lady’s gargling salt water while vocally tuning her D notes. It’s bad enough to lose the White House against an unlikable and very beatable Democrat, but the GOP is now also likely to lose the Senate.
This has lead to numerous articles questioning the future of the Republican Party including @Jon Gabriel’s piece in the Arizona Republic and USA Today. While some authors clutch artificial pearls in their woe-is-me tropes, Jon provides granular specifics on what needs to be done. The problem is, in today’s A.D.D. media circus, getting back to micro bona-fide conservative issues is likely to fall on deaf ears. Most, if not all, of the mainstream media (including Fox News) placed Trump upon the nomination pedestal with their eye either on ratings windfalls or the ideological intent to tear him down in the general (or both). This is now happening. Of course, Trump doesn’t help the cause by providing unlimited cannon fodder as he’s currently on track to become the worst major party candidate in the lifetimes of many.
Of all years, this year the GOP’s perennial mainstay policy issues are easy low-hanging fruit. What’s frustrating is that, outside of Trump’s rallies, very few are discussing them. Reports suggest the RNC have presented Trump with instructions to stick to the script. Rumors (unsubstantiated) even suggested the RNC presented him an ultimatum to shape up or they’d pull support and focus on saving Congress. At this point, they should. The primary focus for any right-of-center types now is to save Congress. When Don Lemon or Chuck Todd ask questions about Trump’s latest idiotic statement, RNC surrogates need to answer as follows:
I’ll let the Trump campaign answer for themselves. However, Americans are deeply concerned about:
- The Economy: Right now, we’ve got 1.2% GDP growth including wage stagnation, the lowest work participation index in 40 years, and an extreme regulatory environment and entrepreneurial slowdown. Obama’s stimulus failed and Clinton now wants to double-down. Conservative policies would be an economic boost meaning higher wages instead of McJobs.
- National Security: The ill-advised military pullout in Iraq left the vacuum for the creation of ISIS. Obama’s first six years sidelined the threat as “JV.” Those decisions lead to increased terrorist attacks and threats both abroad and at home. While many didn’t agree with the Iraq war, we needed to finish it correctly. Now, there needs to be a pivot and proper clean-up, before a chemical weapon goes off at your neighborhood shopping center
- Illegal Immigration: 57% increase in just the past 2 years. See Economy and National Security.
If the RNC/GOP/conservative alliance is intent on minimizing the 2016 damage to just the White House, it should hound Hillary Clinton’s media’s acolytes on these issues — and only these issues — until Her Royal Heinous is seated upon her Saudi-financed throne. Then, let’s watch as a GOP House and Senate deal with the first likely almost indicted, untrustworthy, corrupt, female impeached president who was married to a former impeached president.
Excellent essay, David. At this point, it’s time to start planning for the future with President Hillary who, like Obama, is uninterested in serving as President, and will let underlings and petty bureaucrats bungle things up while she keeps her hands “clean”.
In previous years, the conservatives were beaten. Now, they’ve surrendered, and many have abandoned conservative principles, even turned on those who are conservative, in order to support the Tangerine Loser.
Thanks M. You don’t think she will be proactive? Her Senate record shows she didn’t do anything. But as SOS she made a mess of things. I could be wrong, but I get a sense she will push for her social and stimulus agenda hard.
Her Royal Heinous
Haha! Wait why am I laughing. Very good article, David.
Thanks, can I trademark that?
Great idea! We can make products!
But there’s the rub. Outside of the WH, Conservatives were not beaten. As pointed to in the OP there was a run of successes that have kept Obama’s agenda relatively restrained (as much as possible, anyway). How we were not able to capitalize on that against HER is unconscionable.
At some point in time we will run out of money and we will need some novel ideas at state and local levels. If conservatives are ready with some policy agendas then it doesn’t have to be the “death” of conservatism.
I don’t want to make it seem like I’m saying that conservatives have no policy issues, but in a lot of people’s minds, they have gotten defined by what they are against (talk radio isn’t helping, even some people I like). I think people know conservatives like school choice. But they have to push an agenda that can get people talking about positive policy solutions. “Less government spending” is a black box when it comes to framing. So is “liberty.”
I think Rick Santorum made a good point that GOP needs to frame its rhetoric for people who aren’t entrepreneurs. Every GOP voter isn’t trying to start a small business. Some people just want a stable job. I think Trump is hitting it big with that aspect. I think his attacks on trade are wrong but that’s a separate story.
And having a positive policy agenda is as much about framing as it is about having good policy. It doesn’t have to grow the government or be democrat-lite (a strategy that doesn’t really work). I do have to give Paul Ryan some credit. He is tweeting about GOP policy.
I keep going back to the idea that unless we can delete the Dept of Education and regain control of our schools, nothing will get better. We’ve allowed them to brainwash several generations of people who can now vote and who wouldn’t recognize true socialism if it smacked them in the face. Only a fatuous and uneducated populace would vote this terrible woman into office, and I don’t know how to stop it.
Every battleground senate seat needs max support.
With trump’s negative coat tails that is an undeniable fact. It’s horrendous that men like Pat Toomey are as far behind in Pensaylvania because trump steps on land mines like the Cookie Monster eats cookies and thus tarnishes an entire party.
Your point is right on. It’s been discussed in other threads. The Democrats are outstanding when it comes to messaging. They put on a great show, and more importantly they know who their demographic is. Most voters don’t spend time like we do on the 7 layer political bean dip. In between Pat and Alex they see grannie being thrown off a cliff and thats enough to scare them into the liberal camp.
At Leadership Inst. we talk about messaging. EG: How SELLING local control (10A issues) benefits people’s real lives. Pols must connect the dots for the lesser interested voters. Ie: that having control over our own roads means quicker construction/repair time, means quicker commutes… cue the imagery of the family eating dinner together. It all has to apply to them. You’re right “Liberty” and “Less Gov’t” is outdated as marketing solutions. You have to apply it to peoples lives.
Conservatism’s three-legged stool appears to be undergoing a revamping. Tax cuts/limited government, a strong interventionist foreign policy and traditional values were the old standard; but as I read this post and its advice to the national GOP about how to appeal to the voters I see that’s no longer the case even among the base.
Most significantly illegal immigration has been raised to a new plateau. (Who on earth could have been the catalyst for that revision?) Bravo!
A growth economic plan is easy to advocate, but doing so in an economy carrying a huge debt load is another matter. What that plan looks like beyond the usual supply-side boilerplate will be the challenge. There is lot of resentment still percolating under the daily flow of commerce.
In foreign affairs re-engaging in the Middle East is Einstein’s definition of insanity. Conservatives have to understand that the Iraq invasion and occupation gave us a Democratic Congress and Barack Obama. Going back will, over time, do so again. Who wants a repeat of that?
Finally, this post makes it clear by omission that the culture war is lost and over. No social issues are mentioned as being crucial to carry the conservative message forward to the voters. Apparently the one thing that conservatives have no energy to conserve is the moral structure they were raised with. Equality and non-judgmentalism have overcome everything.
David, Republicans also know who their demographic is, but unlike the Democrats the GOP is embarrassed by – rather than proud of – their base of support.
Splitting hairs – we’ve lost the White House, we’ve lost individual races, lost court decisions, we’ve not gotten the most conservative person to be the nominee. As to how we got here, expect much navel gazing starting in November.
Doesn’t mean the party doesn’t stand for that or wouldn’t promote that through policy, but it isn’t selling.
Agreed. Find the good in a bad situation. But branding correctly is key. The way it’s been raised has lost much needed demographics.
That’s education right? The moment we removed Econ 101 from our schools (along with shop class) kids graduated without understanding or even knowing the difference between capitalism and socialism.
No one (well mostly no one) is calling for mass ground troops. I don’t think that’s necessary. But we need to do much more than just having 18 year olds controlling drones from Nellis AFB. The more attacks by ISIS in Western Europe and America, the less people will have a problem with going in a cleaning up the mess. The surge worked. And then, Obama won.
Agreed with the first part of this paragraph. I may be in the minority on Ricochet but cultural issues are dead end losers politically for the right. Outside of our own religious and community groups, these are not issues to be discussed on a national platform. 10A should be the extent of it. Let states decide, now move on. These are proven landmines the Left leave for us, as we will once again see in the debates and we step on them every time, losing more voters than we gain. Just watch… in a year when we have a practical recession and ISIS, moderator Candy Crowley will ask about transgender bathrooms.
You made some good points. I’d just say that the culture war, while a commonly used term, should be unpacked. In the Conservatarian Manifesto, Charles CW Cooke points out that young people are still very much split and winnable on the issue of abortion. We will have to learn how to continue to fine tune our messaging, but that isn’t something we should give up.
We should never give up the value of the family unit either. It is a very important aspect of life, culture, and future economic success. And I think the more the GOP can engage the black community, the better, because there are many blacks who recognize this and talk about it, in private and in black churches. So it can be a winning issue, for everyone, but also for blacks, if the GOP can grow into that community and use more black surrogates to deliver the message the way they themselves have heard it delivered.
Regarding growth for the country: intact families, good education, and stable communities are in and of themselves predictors of good jobs, not being poor, and so on. While it doesn’t necessarily mean people will become conservatives, we would certainly have a stronger country, which is a great thing.
Disagree. The Left mostly practice identity politics which slice and dice people into victim groups and then use them as bargaining chips. The Right mostly treats people as individuals all based on their character, not their race or creed.
Dave, outstanding as always. However, one bone to pick.
The very last bullet in your final list.
No GOP aligned surrogate on a talk show outside of some of the HFC, Jeff Sessions or maybe Ted Cruz will ever utter a word that illegal immigration is a problem.
Trump is a mess, but that doesn’t make some of the issues he raised early in the campaign any less important for conservative success. Peggy Noonan pointed out 2 weeks ago in Declarations that Republicans have learned nothing from Trump’s nomination.
Republicans believe if only Paul Ryan or Mitt Romney would go before a teleprompter that has comprehensive immigration reform loaded on it and begin reading the seas will part and they will glide to 1600 Pennsylvania.
I share your outrage and frustration, but I am just as outraged at the same idiots that got us into this mess because they would do it all over again in a second.
Thanks Brent. I hear you but again, it comes back to messaging. What Trump did in his introduction of the issue was suffice to get the topic in our daily news bites. Kudo’s to him, although if I was his manager I would have asked him to stop using ‘rapists and murderers’. Beyond that, he has wasted the issue and allowed the Left to brand him, and US as racist.
GOPe should adopt what JoinLibre.org (Libre Initiative) is doing in your home state.
Good start.
The operative word is serving, which she has no history of, and no heart for. Like all criminals, she’s greedy, but lazy. I think we can count on her to get drugged up with whatever they give her to keep the face and voice under control, then give the occasional speech in support of the progressive agenda. Unfortunately, her enemies will be saying hello to her little friend, the IRS, while the same people who have been carrying her for years will continue to run things and take the fall when necessary.
This is absolutely not a messaging problem.
Conservatism is dead. That’s simply a fact. All the messaging in the world won’t bring it back to life.
The lesson to be learned from Obama and Trump is that you need to talk to the 70 percent of the people who don’t typically show up to vote in the primaries. Or at least a slice of them. Those people aren’t conservative or liberal and they mostly aren’t dopes influenced by commercials.
The problem isn’t that conservatism is “dead”, the problem is that there is now an outright civil war on the right between American conservatism (what Frank Meyer called conscious conservatism) against the alt right who are pushing a white identity politics, mixed with nationalist populism. That war is not going to be ending this cycle.
It’s National Review vs Breitbart.
RedState vs Fox News.
Glenn Beck vs Sean Hannity.
Mark Levin vs Michael Savage.
Ben Sasse vs Newt Gingrich.
Ted Cruz vs Sarah Palin.
Constitutionalism vs Right Wing Statism.
This war will go on even after Trump loses this election, and that’s not even taking into account the return of David Duke and his ilk, which is another problem conservatives have to deal with now. All because of Trump and the alt right.
Well done, David. I think you are correct. Let’s focus on Congress and try to maintain our majorities. Other than that, I will await further instructions!
It would be a nice gift to my side if such people stuck around, but I am doubtful that they will. National Trumpism is nothing without Trump.
The Libre Initiative is an old-style attempt at assimilation, the exact kind of thing that our elites used to profess and fund before they became the Defenders of the Free World. Then their interests changed…
Garza is conducting a gallant fight, but he is working against numbers. If we stopped all immigration from Latin America and the Third World his project would have a chance; but with Hillary as President and Ryan acting as her Judas goat on Comprehensive Immigration Reform, Garza is going to be the man trying to mop up the flood in the bathroom while the faucet is still wide open.
You folks just don’t get it, do you?
Tee Hee.
That’s the way I see it as well. Trump is toast. It’s time to attempt to save congress. But I’m sure the RNC will wait until it’s too late.
The Trumpkins can not afford to admit that they’ve lost because their ideas are repugnant to people. Media empires now exist solely to promote that Trumpkin message. Sure many will fall, but the ones that don’t will start pushing the “stabbed in the back” theory.
How will that idea sell? We don’t know yet, but I think it’s to soon to say that without Trump on the national stage this is over.
That’s not even taking into account the rumors that Trump could build his own network now that he has Ailes and Bannon officially on his team.