May 14, 2008
Strange Attractors
On the surface David Cameron and John McCain are vastly different. David Cameron looks like a smooth, young British toff. John McCain looks like a weathered and worn old soldier. Here’s video to demonstrate the point.
On a political level I believe John McCain is adopting the sort of conservatism David Cameron exemplifies. David Brooks writes that the argument over the size of government is no longer deciding elections. Instead the main issues are the efficiency of government and its effectiveness in improving the economic and non-economic quality of life. On those issues British Conservatives have revived their party.
I suspect McCain is attempting a similar pivot to quality of life sensibilities. His embrace of environmentalism is perhaps only a first step. In fact I’m sure most of you received this e-mail from his campaign.
Contrary to Democratic TV ads, McCain will not be Bush’s third term.
http://race42008.com/2008/05/14/strange-attractors/trackback/
May 14th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Interesting read: “A Defense of Cameronism“.
May 14th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Cameron is a genius, and there are a lot of issues where I think we should be patterning ourselves after the British Consevaitives (another key figure to study is Lnodon Mayor Boris Johnson, who is a stark contrast to Cameron’s style but still very successful),
While I don’t think that is appropriate to embrace Al Gore-style hysteria with regards to climate change, I do think it is a good idea to bring environmental issues to the forefront. First off, conservative, free market solutions have consistently outperformed leftist ideas when it comes to reducing polution. And second, these type of issues present a kindler, gentler side of the GOP.
So, while I don’t think that the solution to all of our problems is to rush to the center, I do love the way that Cameron has capitalized on issues that conservatives usually don;t focus on. So, we should definitely be patterning ourselves after the British Conservatives to some degree.
May 14th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
I just hope this is all an election gimmick and McCain would find a way to transition to sanity on them in the Oval Office.
May 14th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
I wouldn’t hold my breath, Metro. McCain is McCain.
May 14th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
If I recall correctly, McCain spoke at a British Conservative Party conference a year or so ago on the very topic of reviving conservative parties globally.
The problem is that the prescribed means of reviving conservatism are to become markedly less conservative and more anti-capitalist.
I agree that McCain will not be Bush 3 in may respects, but in other ways McCain would be a reaffirmation of big-government conservatism. And the Global Warming agenda stands poised to be the biggest international government growth plan in the history of mankind.
Many of us will vote for Mac this time just based on SCOTUS being at stake. But I can no longer consider myself a Republican. It is entirely possible that another party could become the main vehicle for genuine American conservatism in the near-term.
May 14th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
Gary:
How can you say that. You’ve written more than a few times that you like Pawlenty. He is almost a McCain clone. You know the envir bill that passed last session and you should know that Pawlenty wanted even more pro-green legislation. I just don’t see how you can like Pawlenty but think McCain is a bane of conservatism. Being pro-green will reduce the balance of payments (who wants to give these oil producing countries any more money), create green jobs, and even if you don’t believe in global warming, those measure will clean up the habitat. Whether people on this board like it or not, being pro-environment is a winning issue. Which would rather have. 9iu11ani who is pro-abortion but is as anti-environment as you can get (a T. Boone Pickets henchman) or someone who’s pro-life, fiscally prudent but knows where the general public stands on the environment.
May 14th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
McCain is making a serious mistake adopting all of this environmental malarky and climate change hooey. He is endanger of seriously alienating true Conservatives.
May 14th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
IR-MN, liking Pawlenty and despising his collectivist notions on The Warming are not mutually exclusive.
As I have said, I have no problem with a green conservatism. Being green is the luxury an affluent, capitalistic system can afford. I would personally love to see the government involved in spearheading a hydrogen-based transportation system.
But the implementation of the Global Warming statist, collectivist agenda would be the greatest triumph of totalitarianism since 1917.
May 14th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
David Brooks writes that the argument over the size of government is no longer deciding elections. Instead the main issues are the efficiency of government and its effectiveness in improving the economic and non-economic quality of life.
Exactly. And what’s unfortunate is that very few on the American Right understand this at present, largely because we haven’t yet endured the seismic losses that the Tories experienced over the course of the last decade. But we will.
Look, the issues on which the modern Right were founded are dead issues. Communism: dead issue. We’re one SCOTUS Justice away from the Court being, for all intents and purposes, a dead issue. Ditto on abortion. One more conservative Justice and abortion is a dead issue nationally, because there is neither a national majority to ban abortion nor to legalize it across the fifty states. Taxes? Let’s face it, they’re as low as they’re going to go. The argument is now over a few percentage points on the top marginal rate. Dead issue. Spending? Well, no one like earmarks or waste. But there are tons of new areas requiring government spending due to a changing economy and a changing world. Do you really think the millions of retiring Boomers are going to give up their Social Security? Or their Medicare? And what about working folks? It now requires an advanced degree to live a halfway decent life in this country. And then there’s the outrageous cost of modern medicine. Someone has to pay for all that. Small government? Dead issue.
Interestingly, Newt Gingrich is one of the few original small government conservatives who understands the need to transform the GOP into the smart government party. Notice how Newt never talks small government anymore, and always talks about “inventive” government. He gets it. McCain does too. Even if McCain loses, trust me, the next time we win, it will be with a smart government Republican, not a small government one.
May 14th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
DaveG, that’s how I see it. Besides my stridency on protecting human life, I don’t see much difference in our political positions.
May 14th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
Incidentally, McCain’s $5000 refundable tax credit is an excellent way to get everyone insured, as a refundable credit basically acts as a voucher for those who don’t pay enough in taxes to even benefit from the credit (i.e., most of the working class folks who can’t afford health care to begin with). The market has produced lots of relatively inexpensive health plans that provide individuals and families with good coverage for only a couple hundred dollars a month. A refundable tax credit would cover those costs and get everybody insured who wants to be insured. Then we need to actually work on lowering the cost of health care across the board and dealing with the way insurance companies deal with preexisting conditions so that owning health insurance will actually mean something. McCain’s on the right track, and a better track than traditional Republicans are on, who shrug off the problem with a sink-or-swim attitude. Republicans who don’t “get it” on this issue are about to be sunk themselves. By the American people.
May 14th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
#9, where’s metro to decry this blasphemy. While I strongly disagree with your VP choices (basically your proclivity for pro-choice pols), you along with the those commentators are spot on. Libertarianism and the general small government ideology will probably remain on the defensive for a very long time. Vouchers were defeated by a wide margin in Utah. The GOP had its chance to turn back the entitlement mentality of this country. Bush starting in 2000 could’ve started the roll back of the new deal but slimming down the federal government, programs, etc. But he wasn’t the man for the job. Jeb was–or even McCain (with a GOP congress he would’ve taken an ax to the federal gov). I say we blame Lawton Chiles for the last eight years.
May 15th, 2008 at 8:57 am
Hi folks,
I have been watching this site for past month or so, I am one of those “Hillarycrat’s” and come GE, if BHO is the democratic nominee you can count on my vote for Mccain. The reasons are, that just like the Republican party moved too far to the right, if BHO is the democratic nominee he will be too far to the left and I believe that the majority in this country wants to be in the middle. John mccain is the ideal Republican candidiate who can get elected provided he remains who he is and willing to shun the extreme right wing of the republican party. I am confident that he can do this. God bless America
HRH