Sully Explains
Andrew Sullivan, a former conservative, gives 16 reasons why he can no longer identify himself by that term. He refuses to tag himself as a liberal, either (I would be interested to see his 16 reasons why not for that). But here’s an interesting challenge for people who still calls themselves conservatives, and still want to vote for the Republican Party: can you address these 16 reasons, without simply denying their truth, and give a justification and defense of each? And if not, how can you still support conservatism? I really would like to know.
I cannot support a movement that claims to believe in limited government but backed an unlimited domestic and foreign policy presidency that assumed illegal, extra-constitutional dictatorial powers until forced by the system to return to the rule of law.
I cannot support a movement that exploded spending and borrowing and blames its successor for the debt.
I cannot support a movement that so abandoned government’s minimal and vital role to police markets and address natural disasters that it gave us Katrina and the financial meltdown of 2008.
I cannot support a movement that holds torture as a core value.
I cannot support a movement that holds that purely religious doctrine should govern civil political decisions and that uses the sacredness of religious faith for the pursuit of worldly power.
I cannot support a movement that is deeply homophobic, cynically deploys fear of homosexuals to win votes, and gives off such a racist vibe that its share of the minority vote remains pitiful.
I cannot support a movement which has no real respect for the institutions of government and is prepared to use any tactic and any means to fight political warfare rather than conduct a political conversation.
I cannot support a movement that sees permanent war as compatible with liberal democratic norms and limited government.
I cannot support a movement that criminalizes private behavior in the war on drugs.
I cannot support a movement that would back a vice-presidential candidate manifestly unqualified and duplicitous because of identity politics and electoral cynicism.
I cannot support a movement that regards gay people as threats to their own families.
I cannot support a movement that does not accept evolution as a fact.
I cannot support a movement that sees climate change as a hoax and offers domestic oil exploration as the core plank of an energy policy.
I cannot support a movement that refuses ever to raise taxes, while proposing no meaningful reductions in government spending.
I cannot support a movement that refuses to distance itself from a demagogue like Rush Limbaugh or a nutjob like Glenn Beck.
I cannot support a movement that believes that the United States should be the sole global power, should sustain a permanent war machine to police the entire planet, and sees violence as the core tool for international relations.
Does this make me a “radical leftist” as Michelle Malkin would say? Emphatically not. But it sure disqualifies me from the current American right.
To paraphrase Reagan, I didn’t leave the conservative movement. It left me.
Terms: You must confront all 16, and not just pick and choose which ones you want to defend.
I would, in all seriousness, be just as interested in taking a whack at the opposite with a list of things wrong with liberalism, given a list of reasons similarly grounded in fact. For example, “I cannot support a movement so tepid in resolve that it would allow itself to be subverted or steamrolled so easily,” or “I cannot support a movement which would accept a womanizer and adulterer as a popular, successful president”–though I would hope there would be more cutting, vital reasons than just those.
Another, somewhat less eloquent list of reasons for leaving conservatism at Little Green Footballs.
“A man stands at the edge of the abyss. The abyss looks back. At that point, if the man doesn’t fall in, he’s found his character.” – Paraphrased from memory, from “Wall Street”.
There comes a point for every would be conservative/republican when they have to ask themselves: “Can I really go skinhead.”
The skinheadification of the Republican party is now a capital fact.
Brought about by the primary process I suppose, where radicals and extremists are overly represented.
Quite a good list by Sullivan – perhaps his nicest bit of work.
He was never much of a conservative anyway. He has a foundness for traditional religion and a loathing for what he termed as “the nanny state” manifested in anti-welfare state, especially universal free health care.
That stance has pretty much proven wrong by all honest people who are interested in or mindful of civics. Once you get passed the healthcare issue there really isn’t much left to object to. At that point, for a gay person, there is only self loathing.
I sure hope this list gets some air play, because it is quite brilliant.
“I cannot support a movement that claims to believe in limited government but backed an unlimited domestic and foreign policy presidency that assumed illegal, extra-constitutional dictatorial powers until forced by the system to return to the rule of law.”
I cannot support a movement that claimed repeatedly to be the most open administration ever and supports conducting negotiations regarding one of the most divisive and significant bills in the nation’s history behind closed doors, and continually confuses the last administration with one that actually believed in limited government and true conservatism.
“I cannot support a movement that exploded spending and borrowing and blames its successor for the debt.”
I cannot support a movement that blames its predecessor for a large national debt and supports tripling that debt–despite growing evidence of its failed policies—through continued, unprecedented, spending sprees on policies that simply don’t work.
“I cannot support a movement that so abandoned government’s minimal and vital role to police markets and address natural disasters that it gave us Katrina and the financial meltdown of 2008.”
I cannot support a movement that blames the national government for the failures of a state government to respond appropriately to a national disaster, and refuses to acknowledge its complicity in the financial meltdown caused by policies encouraging, if not mandating, loans to those who could not reasonably afford to pay them back and blames everyone else in the room for the financial meltdown.
“I cannot support a movement that holds torture as a core value.”
I cannot support a movement that believes treating avowed terrorists, with no respect for human life, with kid gloves and believes rare, carefully administered, adverse consequences for three terrorists isn’t worth potentially or actually saving the lives of thousands of people, including those who condemn those working so hard to eliminate an amorphous threat.
“I cannot support a movement that holds that purely religious doctrine should govern civil political decisions and that uses the sacredness of religious faith for the pursuit of worldly power.”
I cannot support a movement so afraid of Christianity and religion in general that they cannot tolerate a baby in a manger, his family, a few farm animals, and a few angels on public property because of the “threat” and are doing everything in their power to remove any and all government-related and, worse, public, private, mention of a poor carpenter who never married, never wrote a book, and never traveled more than 30-40 miles from home.
“I cannot support a movement that is deeply homophobic, cynically deploys fear of homosexuals to win votes, and gives off such a racist vibe that its share of the minority vote remains pitiful.”
I cannot support a movement that refuses to accept any negative impacts of a gay lifestyle, despite all evidence to the contrary, treats it and other abnormal behavior as the norm despite relatively few adherents, and despite repeatedly celebrating “diversity” refuses to acknowledge that not all people believe homosexual or other traditionally aberrant behavior is something to be celebrated and touted as better or even equal to monogamous heterosexuality, and finally refuse to acknowledge that racism, as it existed in the first 75 years or so of the last century, is long gone, and continued discrimination and artificial quotas against whites and white males for the sins of yesteryear are the most racially divisive acts in today’s society towards blacks and whites alike.
“I cannot support a movement that has no real respect for the institutions of government and is prepared to use any tactic and any means to fight political warfare rather than conduct a political conversation.”
I cannot support a movement that continually uses liberal courts and lawsuits to go against the will of the people and legislators and refuses to allow on college campuses, television, movies, music concerts, and other venues voices other than their own to be heard.
“I cannot support a movement that sees permanent war as compatible with liberal democratic norms and limited government.”
I cannot support a movement that is so naïve and ignorant of reality it cannot understand that wars are sometimes imposed upon a nation by truly bad people who hate you and your American way of life (including equal rights for women and tacit acceptance of homosexuality) including many of the liberal views so disdained by the people in uniform fighting, killing, and dying to protect your own liberal views, and that force of war is the only means available to those in uniform to protect the freedoms you enjoy. (The Christmas Day bombing attempt was not stopped by passengers asking the terrorist to please extinguish your flaming underwear—they, rightly, used force.)
“I cannot support a movement that criminalizes private behavior in the war on drugs.”
I cannot support a movement that cries out an end to the criminalization of private behavior in using drugs and wants to dictate how much land I should own, what food I eat, what safety gear I wear, what vehicle I drive, how I get to work, and any number of restrictions on my personal choices and freedoms. (And, I do personally have some issues with the “war on drugs.”)
“I cannot support a movement that would back a vice-presidential candidate manifestly unqualified and duplicitous because of identity politics and electoral cynicism.”
I cannot support a movement that would choose and elect a presidential candidate so manifestly unqualified and duplicitous because of racial politics and his smooth speaking style.
“I cannot support a movement that regards gay people as threats to their own families.”
(Didn’t we already discuss gays?) I cannot support a movement so inconsiderate of diversity that they cannot understand others might legitimately disagree with some of their views that all sexual mores and behaviors are equivalent, equally desirable, and beneficial to society and those participating in the sexual activities.
“I cannot support a movement that does not accept evolution as a fact.”
I cannot support a movement that accepts evolution as a fact and has to save every animal and plant on earth because they can’t adapt to a naturally changing environment or mankind’s impact fast enough…(Besides many conservatives, including the Catholic Church, accept evolution as a proven scientific theory).
“I cannot support a movement that sees climate change as a hoax and offers domestic oil exploration as the core plank of an energy policy.”
I cannot support a movement that refuses any and all dialogue on global warming/climate change, lies to get its point across, maligns all diverse opinions on the matter, and insists on any solution, however impractical and unworkable, other than nuclear power as an alternative energy source.
“I cannot support a movement that refuses ever to raise taxes, while proposing no meaningful reductions in government spending.”
I cannot support a movement that insists on raising taxes on the smaller and smaller minority of people who actually pay federal taxes to support increased government spending on unconstitutional entitlements that grow like a cancer far bigger than projected, are never reduced, and are fundamentally unsustainable.
“I cannot support a movement that refuses to distance itself from a demagogue like Rush Limbaugh or a nutjob like Glenn Beck.”
I cannot support a movement that resorts to name calling, or wishing people dead during a serious illness, rather than using intellectual discourse and rhetoric to defuse arguments and views it disagrees with.
“I cannot support a movement that believes that the United States should be the sole global power, should sustain a permanent war machine to police the entire planet, and sees violence as the core tool for international relations.”
I cannot support a movement that believes the most free and individually selfless (however imperfect) nation on Earth is just another country among equals, against all evidence to the contrary, is naïve enough to think unilateral disarmament is the way to peace, and can’t understand the difference between threat of force and use of force (versus appeasement).