“Why Conservatives Can’t Govern” by Alan Wolfe
(Via del.icio.us/popular.)
“A conservative in America, in short, is someone who advocates ends that cannot be realized through means that can never be justified, at least not on the terrain of conservatism itself.”
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“Although some of those who followed in Goldwater’s footsteps–Nixon, Reagan, Bush, and then Bush–professed to share his distaste for government, none stood in the way of its growth.”
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“From a conservative point of view, separation of powers is divisive, tolerance a luxury, fairness another word for weakness, and cooperation unnecessary. If conservatives will not use government to tame Hobbes’ state of nature, they will use it to strengthen Hobbes’ state of nature.”
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“Indeed, as the Bush administration fully proves, conservatism remains a force of opposition even when it purports to be a governance party. And so the best that can be hoped for is that American voters will do for conservatives what they are unable to do themselves: to vote them out of office.”
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This is a great piece. No matter what your political view, it’s worth a read. I’ve tried to write more about what he’s on about, but Wolfe says it all and does so nicely. I think he’s right. For conservatives to truly succeed, they’re going to have to change. The other side will have to clean the mess up and it’s likely to take some time.