A conservative I am not. I often wish I had never heard the word. From the beginning of this silly blog, I keep lamely saying that the reason I vote for the right is not because I like the right, but because I hate the left more.
Not all that big of a deal, because I have never made any bones about being a libertarian, and whether I am a libertarian conservative or a conservative libertarian, who cares? The point is, while I refuse to consider myself a conservative because I can’t stomach being part of the powerful socon/anti-gay/drug war-supporting clique which fancies itself in charge of “conservatism” (to say nothing of the WorldNetDaily nutjobs who are considered worthy of respect by that same clique), I nonetheless must recognize that despite my antipathy towards being in a coalition with them, they are still better than the left.
So it’s my cross to bear and it is nothing new here.
Still, I was shocked to see Mark Steyn (whose conservative bona fides are as respected as can be) say this:
The trouble for conservatives is we have no good cop. That’s to say, we have no positive presence in the broader cultural space where real people actually live.
(Via Glenn Reynolds.)
I think that there are a number of libertarian conservatives (and conservative libertarians) out there who might qualify for the role of good cop. The problem is, that they are not conservative enough for the bad cops, so they get chased out of the room.
I have run for office twice now (in an area where Republicans garner 20-30% of the vote), knowing that I was certain to lose, which of course I did. Even though I’m good at putting the best face on things (regular readers know that I excel at denying all responsibility for the thoughts of others) I nonetheless grew sick and tired of being forced into the role of a sort of professional apologist for the Republican Party. I didn’t like having to apologize for conservative nutjobs like Michael Savage to liberal voters, but what made the process intolerable was having conservatives who won’t run for office themselves attempt to hold me accountable for not being conservative enough for their liking. Which I admit I am not. Perhaps I’d be more comfortable in the Libertarian Party, but I don’t like casting my lot with losers. (Except considering the circumstances, how exactly does that sound?)
To be sure, running as a Republican in an area in which you are absolutely, positively, certain to lose constitutes loser behavior. I knew I would lose, and I did lose, but that is not my complaint. My complaint is with the rest of them — the ones who won’t run, but who will endlessly complain anyway. What is up with them? I would like to be understanding, and I truly want to understand. Might it be that Republicans (and conservatives) are practical people of the sort who see running for office the way they might see starting a business, and who would evaluate it in the same manner? If there is no way to succeed, you would be a fool to do it? The problem with that is in places like Ann Arbor where I live, such an approach means the Democrats would win without any opposition — not even token opposition. How healthy is that for democracy? I have this weird idea that Republicans should always be on the ballot, if for no other reason to remind voters that this is still the United States, and a two party system.
Funny thing is that even though I’m a libertarian, what convinced me that I needed to run was an encounter with a woman in her early 20s the first time I ran for Ann Arbor City Council. In this town, you have to get 100 signatures to be on the primary ballot. Few if any Republicans are willing to do that, because it isn’t easy; you have to knock on doors and few people will sign a petition to help a Republican get access to the ballot. Realizing that I was mainly dealing with Democrats as I went door to door that first time, I sort of tailored my approach along the lines of “you don’t have to vote for me or agree with me! Just help me get on the ballot as a Republican.”
So this young woman looked me right in the eye and said, quite honestly,
“I don’t think it’s right for Republicans to be on the ballot in Ann Arbor.”
I know this will sound strange, but she really and truly was sincere and meant me no harm personally. She believed what she had been taught — that Republicans are evil. And she clearly did not understand why anyone would be trying to get her to sign a petition to put a Republican on the ballot.
That was enough to galvanize me into running. I have my disagreements with Republicans and conservatives, but my disagreeing with them does not make them demons. I was raised to believe that people could disagree and still be friends. What happened to that? It still happens, but it seems to me that there are more conservatives who have liberal friends than there are liberals with conservative friends. Has anyone done a poll? Or do such things matter anymore?
Anyway, there are plenty of reasons for me to keep voting for the right over the left, and I will keep doing so.
I wish enthusiasm was one of them.
How can I be enthusiastic for bad cops?
Comments
4 responses to ““positive presence in the broader cultural space”?”
In some ways I wish I had your fortitude.
But I have given up on Republicans. I have not found them significantly better than Democrats. Better? Yes. Significantly better? No.
Next time you run I hope you do it as a Libertarian. Loser? Sure. But you stand a much better chance of making your case. At least in Ann Arbor.
I’ve heard of conservative libertarians, but what is a libertarian conservative?
As for running in Ann Arbor, just run as a Democrat saying nothing but Republican things. I wonder if anyone would notice.
but what is a libertarian conservative?
That would be someone such as myself, who tends to personally agree with many/most socon ideas, but am completely opposed to using the club of the state to enforce them. If I can’t convince you that my ideas are better, I’ll simply work harder on my arguments, rather than say “there ought to be a law” so as to force you into my position. Sadly, my position is somewhat uncommon, as too many of my ideological brethren are thrilled with the idea of having the State beat you into agreement with them.
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