Lonely Voice

I've referred to him before, if obliquely, in my never-ending search for a reasonable conservative, an entity all but disappeared from the national scene, even as it's sorely needed. He, Ronald Reagan's former chief economic advisor, has spoken again:

.... In my own mind, I have the same political philosophy I've always had--basically libertarian but tempered by Burkean small-C conservatism. But I am no longer a member of the Republican Party and no longer consider myself part of the "conservative movement." That's not because I changed, but because I believe that they have. The Republican Party of today is not the party of Jack Kemp and Ronald Reagan that I was once a member of; it stands for nothing except the pursuit of power as an end in itself, with no concern whatsoever for what is right for the country. In a recent interview with The Economist magazine, I characterized the Republicans as the greedy, sociopathic party. I stand by that.

I think Russell Kirk and Bill Buckley would be absolutely aghast at the things it stands for today and the people that are acclaimed as its leaders. When clowns like Glenn Beck are its leaders and right-wing bigots pander to ignorant yahoos about a planned mosque in lower Manhattan, I want to be as far away from any such movement as I possibly can. And readers of this blog know what I think of the know-nothing tea party movement, which conservatives have latched onto en masse.

What he says is self-evident, except to those who need to hear it most. "... no concern whatsoever for what is right for the country."

From the mouth of the ultimate Reaganite, one who sat at the right hand of God: "... no concern whatsoever for what is right for the country." Readers of this blog have read virtually those exact words before.

"... the greedy, sociopathic party."

"... stands for nothing except the pursuit of power as an end in itself..."

We need a strong conservative party. I'd pray for it if, well, you know... Our form of government is predicated upon discussion, dissent, argument. But it also presumes good faith and a sense of common purpose, namely a shared desire to find a way through the woods. Absent that, I suppose we could live -- tenuously -- if it were only the leaders of Republicans who refused to be thoughtful and to present credible ideas. But we can't live -- it's becoming more and more clear -- with voters in numbers that now exist, who gobble up the ghastly gruel they're being sold by Sarah and Glenn, by Mitch and John and Newt and Louie. Wholesale. In Costco quantities. Without so much as a final flicker, a terminal twitch, a rictus, a death rattle.