It’s the economy, stupid! We need to cannibalize the dead!
3 o'clock, November 7, 2003
More interesting stuff from John of John & Belle, in this case a review of David Frum’s Dead Right. I fully sympathize with John’s curiosity as to what
conservatism looks like in all its glorious and unalloyed philosophical ideal purity, scoured clean and purified of blemishes, flaws, errors, compromises, distortions due to human weakness, money, K Street, the usual suspects.
I also, however, fully sympathize with his dismay at the possibility that Frum’s thesis might be the best modern American conservatism has to offer.
John paraphrases:
”It’s the economy, stupid! We need to bury it under ten to twelve feet of snow so that we will be forced to cannibalize the dead and generally be objects of moral edification to future generations.“
I think we are beginning to see why Frum feels that his philosophy may be a loser come election time.
As John says, it’s not that Frum — and the great mass of American conservatives — really think this. It’s that they don’t think at all, at least when it comes to thinking through their premises to their logical conclusions. Have a look.
(Courtesy of Electrolite.)
"As John says, it’s not that Frum — and the great mass of American conservatives — really think this. It’s that they don’t think at all, at least when it comes to thinking through their premises to their logical conclusions."
Funny, I've heard conservatives say the same about liberals.