Alan Wolfe (of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life) recently wrote a remarkably bigoted comment in The New Republic celebrating the demise of the politics of bigotry. But he ain’t getting away with this, Peter Leithart has written a response in First Things.
Addendum: I thought Alan Wolfe’s comments were bad, but they were nothing compared to Franky Schaeffer’s. Wow. I guess Obama’s election hasn’t ushered in the new world of love we were led to expect. Franky’s got a real mad on. And just think, all this comes after they WON the election. What would we be getting from these guys if they had lost???
I was skeptical about the existence of people who actually hate the South. I am no longer a skeptic on that point. Hurray for Peter Liethart! I hope Wolfe reads his article.
I gotta say I’m impressed with Schaffer’s article. I’m sure he’s got a higher vantage point on American politics than I do, but I think he’s misjudged his enemy. What he sees as the destruction of the GOP, I see as a wake-up call. The GOP absolutely has to readopt a platform of rock-ribbed conservative and principled positions, and it has to present candidates that hold those principles and positions. *That* GOP is a strong one. The wimpy, centrist, “compassionate” conservatism of recent years is too limp-wristed for the right and too, well, not left enough for the left.
Tim, my question is, has “THAT” GOP ever existed?
Well, golly gee, Vern, I dunno! I’m only 31, so in my personal experience, no. However, I hear great things about Goldwater and Reagan. I read a couple books on the latter and am pretty impressed by him. However, the head of the party is not the party. Politics is always about negotiation or deceit – I’m more into cosmic Monarchy, if you catch my drift. *wink* *wink* *nudge* *nudge*
ok, I gotcha.