Conservatism Is 'Dead,' Author Says... But Liberals Should Hope It Comes Back
Liberals should hope conservatism gets better, says Tanenhaus. Earl Wilson/The New York Times hide caption
February's provocative piece in The New Republic -- "Conservatism is Dead" -- is now a book.
Author Sam Tanenhaus' latest is The Death of Conservatism and it hits bookstores this week.
What argument does Tanenhaus make to support his case?
As he wrote in February, it's that:
After George W. Bush's two terms, conservatives must reckon with the consequences of a presidency that failed, in large part, because of its fervent commitment to movement ideology: the aggressively unilateralist foreign policy; the blind faith in a deregulated, Wall Street-centric market; the harshly punitive "culture war" waged against liberal "elites." That these precepts should have found their final, hapless defender in John McCain, who had resisted them for most of his long career, only confirms that movement doctrine retains an inflexible and suffocating grip on the GOP.
But that doesn't mean Tanenhaus a frequent contributor to the liberal side of the news media, thinks it's good that conservatism, as he puts it, has died.
He tells All Things Considered co-host Robert Siegel that the nation is better off when liberals are challenged by "true" conservatives (the first voice you'll hear is Robert's):
Much more from Robert's conversation with Tanenhaus is scheduled to air on today's edition of ATC. Click here to find an NPR station near you.
Though Tanenhaus may think the conservative movement has withered, that doesn't necessarily mean liberals and Democrats will prosper in upcoming elections.
As Politico writes today:
After an August recess marked by raucous town halls, troubling polling data and widespread anecdotal evidence of a volatile electorate, the small universe of political analysts who closely follow House races is predicting moderate to heavy Democratic losses in 2010.
And in Virginia, as Real Clear Politics' table shows, Republican Bob McDonnell is leading Democrat Creigh Deeds in polls ahead of this November's gubernatorial election.