Thoughtful Conservatism

There's been talk of an anti-intellectual uprising in the conservative movement. The nomination of Sarah Palin confirmed this suspicion to conservatism's willful assassins.

The NYT Opinionator blog (yes, that's actually its name) discovered a rift among conservative intellectuals by way of the Washington Post editorial page.

First, Charles Krauthammer defends his vote for McCain in clear, prophetic wisdom that readers have come to expect. With regard to the so-called conservative intellectuals that do not support McCain/Palin, Krauthammer says he would"rather lose an election than lose my bearings." His opinion is an excellent assessment of the choice American voters face on election day.

The other evidence of a rift among conservatives was given by none other than a certified liberal, E.J. Dionne.

These conservatives deserve credit for acknowledging how ill-suited Palin is for high office, but what we see here is a deep split between parts of the conservative elite and much of the rank and file.

For years, many of the elite conservatives were happy to harvest the votes of devout Christians and gun owners by waging a phony class war against “liberal elitists” and “leftist intellectuals.” Suddenly, the conservative writers are discovering that the very anti-intellectualism their side courted and encouraged has begun to consume their movement.

The cause of Edmund Burke, Leo Strauss, Robert Nisbet and William F. Buckley Jr. is now in the hands of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity — and Sarah Palin. Reason has been overwhelmed by propaganda, ideas by slogans, learned manifestoes by direct-mail hit pieces.

Can't you hear the wishful thinking in his words? I certainly can.

Sarah Palin is intelligent and thoughtful, so was Ronald Reagan. Even William F. Buckley Jr., who had all the credentials of an intellectual never fit the description. Conservatives, in particular, and Republicans, in general, recoil from labeling oneself as an intellectual. Instead conservative leaders tend to be seen as "thoughtful" or "intellectual." Indeed, there is a need for thoughtful leaders and intellectual conservatives to distill and refine the conservative responses to the day's issues.

Conservatives are the inheritors of too great a tradition to lack an intellectual defensive and offensive line. There is much more to American conservatism than Sean Hannity and that must be articulated on all levels of thinking. During WFB's life, National Review was the standard bearer for thoughtful conservatism. NR remains at the forefront today but to a lesser extent.

A prescient quotation comes from an article entitled "Good-bye to All That" by Austin Bramwell, Nov. 20, 2006:

The movement remains a fine place to make a career, but for wisdom one must look elsewhere.

More on Bramwell and National Review to come.