Conservatives triumphalism and escapism while America burns, cont.

I have been concerned that I and others have been discussing the wealth of fascinating and pressing issues before us, when at the moment only ONE issue matters: the health care debate in the Senate. This, along with Cap and Trade, is the biggest leftist power grab in the history of the United States, aimed at radically changing America and making it an unfree country, and if the leftists pass the bill, in whatever form, we cannot be sure of ever getting rid of it. So, shouldn’t our attention be focused on this issue above all others?

Then I saw this article linked at Lucianne.com:

For conservatives, a political surge
Bicker time over. Get ready to rumble.

I thought Lucianne’s subhead meant that it’s time to bring all our forces to bear in the fight against the health care bill. Instead, the article, in the Washington Post, is about the Tea Party movement’s plan “to shake up the 2010 elections by channeling money and supporters to conservative candidates set to challenge both Democrats and Republicans.”

Sorry, but isn’t that premature? Before getting all rah-rah about the 2010 elections and the hope of winning control of Congress, how about focusing on the life and death challenge that is before us at this moment? Or are conservatives ignoring the health care battle, because they think they’re going to lose it, and they would rather indulge in fantasies of some future battle they can win? But if health care passes, we will have lost in a way that will permanently diminish all future victories.

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Richard W. writes:

You wrote:

Before getting all rah-rah about the 2010 elections and the hope of winning control of Congress, how about focusing on the life and death challenge that is before us at this moment? Or are conservatives ignoring the health care battle, because they think they’re going to lose it, and they would rather indulge in fantasies of some future battle they can win?

It seems certain we are going to lose. Pelosi has a hefty majority in the House. In the Senate Reid has a thin, but adequate, majority to pass something in the Senate. The Dems have effectively “bet the house” on passing something. So failure is extremely unlikely. (Despite all the posturing and drama.) It comes down to a few “wobblers,” but it’s obvious that Nelson and Lieberman will eventually side with Reid. It is more likely that Snowe or other liberal Republicans will defect from the “no” side and it will pass with 61 or more votes. Yes, the triumphalism is silly. Mourning would be a more appropriate. But the fact that public opinion is moving against the Dems, against this bill, against government health care and against Obama is good news. Political movements by their nature need to focus on the positive and focus on the next election. So it makes sense. What it shows to me, though, is the futility of our political system in restoring our culture. Our politics resembles a zip-tie. It only goes in one direction, tighter. Liberal proposals always pass in the end. We’ve been fighting this one for 20 years, or more. Once a zip-tie is tightened down the only way to loosen it is to cut it. We need to cut ourselves out of the ever-tightening constriction of the liberal consensus which you deconstruct so wonderfully every day. The U.S. Congress is unlikely to be the tool that we use for that. Even under Newt, the Congress that was elected with a conservative mandate, nothing of any significance to conservatives or traditionalists was accomplished. No agencies were abolished. Affirmative action remained in place. Open borders remained. The government grew in size and scope. The GOP and national electoral politics are, at best, merely a mechanism for slowing our slide into European-style socialism. If we want something more than that we need a different plan.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at December 10, 2009 12:26 PM | Send