Aug
12
Know your role
August 12, 2009 | 2 Comments
Allah Pundit offered his thoughts on Meghan McCain’s bit of idiocy that I blogged about yesterday, and he wonders aloud why conservatives aren’t as vitriolic towards him. After all, he shares many of Miss McCain’s views, and yet he doesn’t come in for nearly as much hatred from the right. He might be misjudging how unpopular he is, but I think his self-assessment is basically accurate.
If the “old guard” of right-wingers is so retrograde, how does a wayward atheist like me end up co-blogging at one of the biggest righty blogs in America? Simple answer: I spend most of my time challenging the left while Meggie Mac spends hers challenging the right, so I have a certain baseline credibility on our side that she has yet to establish. And why would anyone listen to criticism of their own side from someone who doesn’t (yet) have credibility?
Yep. I think what angers conservatives about moderate Republicans is not so much that they veer away from traditional conservative values – although of course that doesn’t go over well – but that so many moderates seem intent on completely trashing the conservative movement. The Davids (Brooks and Frum), Arlen Specter (before he just admitted what he was), and others like them seem to relish poking conservatives in the eyes on a regular basis. Rather than make any effort at finding common ground, they prefer to go on the offensive against the right to, in essence, vanquish true conservatism from the right. It’s funny that they often accuse conservatives of applying ideological purity tests, when in truth it is they who are promoting a narrowing of the tent.
That’s why people like Rudy Giuliani get more respect from conservatives despite disagreeing with us on certain core issues. While I don’t regret for a moment standing with other conservatives and Catholics in opposing his candidacy for the presidency, I still have a great deal of respect for Rudy. What Rudy seems to understand more than the Meghan McCains of the world is that he holds views that are distinctly in the minority within the Republican party. Rather than tell us why we’re wrong and he is right, Rudy accepts the differences and focuses his ire on the common opponent. Rudy is not ashamed of his views and he doesn’t mask them, but he also understands that there are more important battles, and his stances on issues such as abortion are never going to be accepted bya majority of conservatives and Republicans.
There is nothing wrong with a little bit of intra-mural squabbling, and therefore it’s certainly acceptable to try and convince your erstwhile colleagues of the errors of their way. But again, Rudy understands the limits of disagreement. Rudy doesn’t spend most of his waking hours attacking fellow Republicans.
Now as to establishing credibility, one could argue that the Davids had already established their bona fides with the right and should, according to Allah, be more tolerated than they are. But even among those who might have some good history built up, there’s a limit to how much criticism of our most fundamental principles we’re going to take. And it’s not just the moderates that get a little annoying. I’m often amazed that The American Conservative crowd can, while there is an administration and Congress in power that is incredibly hostile to all basic conservative principles, still spill so much ink quibbling with their ideological enemies. Yes, we get it – the neocons are evil. Have you happened to notice what the President is trying to do with health care?
Meghan McCain doesn’t even have this much credit going for her, so her hostility to all things conservative is that much more grating and unappreciated.
That, and the fact that she’s a blithering idiot with no discernible talent or use.
Comments
2 Comments so far
Allah Pundit is badly misjudging whether anyone’s ever heard of him.
Great insights well stated.
The thing about folks in the Rudy G. mold is they don’t embarassed by socons the way David Frum and others do. I’ll never agree with them on the important issue of abortion unless they change their minds, but respect goes a long way.
The American Conservative types are a sad lot. They continuously fight yesterday’s battles, not realizing they they’ve been lost nor understanding their own role in their losing.