A Conservative for Obama

[Deidre in GA]

Wick Allison is the former publisher of the National Review, a respected conservative bi-weekly magazine founded by William F. Buckley, Jr., is also the co-founder of the Dallas D Magazine:

 

A Conservative for Obama

 

My party has slipped its moorings. It’s time for a true pragmatist to lead the country.

 

Leading Off By Wick Allison, Editor In Chief

 

THE MORE I LISTEN TO AND READ ABOUT “the most liberal member of the U.S. Senate,†the more I like him. Barack Obama strikes a chord with me like no political figure since Ronald Reagan. To explain why, I need to explain why I am a conservative and what it means to me.

 

In 1964, at the age of 16, I organized the Dallas County Youth for Goldwater. My senior thesis at the University of Texas was on the conservative intellectual revival in America. Twenty years later, I was invited by William F. Buckley Jr. to join the board of National Review. I later became its publisher.

 

Conservatism to me is less a political philosophy than a stance, a recognition of the fallibility of man and of man’s institutions. Conservatives respect the past not for its antiquity but because it represents, as G.K. Chesterton said, the democracy of the dead; it gives the benefit of the doubt to customs and laws tried and tested in the crucible of time. Conservatives are skeptical of abstract theories and utopian schemes, doubtful that government is wiser than its citizens, and always ready to test any political program against actual results.

 

Liberalism always seemed to me to be a system of “oughts.†We ought to do this or that because it’s the right thing to do, regardless of whether it works or not. It is a doctrine based on intentions, not results, on feeling good rather than doing good.

 

But today it is so-called conservatives who are cemented to political programs when they clearly don’t work. The Bush tax cuts—a solution for which there was no real problem and which he refused to end even when the nation went to war—led to huge deficit spending and a $3 trillion growth in the federal debt. Facing this, John McCain pumps his “conservative†credentials by proposing even bigger tax cuts. Meanwhile, a movement that once fought for limited government has presided over the greatest growth of government in our history. That is not conservatism; it is profligacy using conservatism as a mask.

 

 

Full text here: A Conservative for Obama

[happygrrl]

Thanks, Deidre! Very interesting.

[gratefulmother]

Thanks for posting this. I am still undecided, so I am reading as much as I can.

[Diana in OR]

I am one as well and he said it much more eloquently than I ever could have.

[nmoira]

Thanks for posting this.

[dawn of ns]

Okay. I think I just turned into a conservative again. :D

 

Excellent find. I used to be involved in the conservative party here in Canada. It took a turn towards right wing

religious values though and I left. I had the feeling that people lost the idea of what conservative really meant and I don't think there's a party in Canada anymore (and likely the States as well) that truly represents a conservative stand. They've sold their souls to big business and religion. *sigh*

 

Thank you sooo much for that Deidre!

[hsmamainva]

Excellent article!!

 

Thanks for posting!!

[Haiku]

I used to be involved in the conservative party here in Canada. It took a turn towards right wing

religious values though and I left.

 

That right there is why I could never be a Republican. I have liberal ideas about some things and conservative ideas about some things but I could never, ever align myself with the Republicans because of their far-right religious agenda.

 

Tara

[astrid]

great article; thanks for posting it.

 

astrid

[Tatt2mama]

I like to think of myself as a liberal-leaning independent-I've been a longtime Obama supporter because of his desire to end partisanship and make politics work again. This is definitely some food for thought.

[Jumping In Puddles]

I posted this in the WOW! Major player at DNC jumps ship... thread.(here)

 

I was impressed because of the solid reasons given verses the "I just don't like him, I think he's elitist" reason of Lady de Rothschild.

 

I hope she doesn't like him because he's... black. :(

[ma23peas]

The Bush tax cuts—a solution for which there was no real problem and which he refused to end even when the nation went to war—led to huge deficit spending and a $3 trillion growth in the federal debt.

 

 

Here is where he goes wrong. First, there was/is a big reason to have tax cuts..to stimulate a lagging economy...without the attacks of 9/11 we would have had a little bit better result...but our nation's security demanded that funding go to this war. No one likes war...but can you admit that we have not had attacks on our soil since 9/11/2001? To me, that is worth it. There is no way that a true conservative would EVER vote for Obama...a true conservative is about LESS government...Obama is clearly for more government and his taxation plan will sink our country. Do the homework, don't rely on pundits who say this or that or have a flashy title...read through the evidence...form your own opinion.

 

I am weary of those who are conservative and put out the stories like "Top liberal senator switches sides to vote for McCain" just as I am equally weary of threads like this one that comes from a liberal trying to show "former conservative embraces Obama's plan"...it's just not so. Many would say that Lieberman was a liberal democrat at some point in his time..but what has really happened is that he moved more central in his thinking as did a lot of the republican thinktank....so it looked like he was 'switching' sides...not so,

 

So, please folks...don't read articles like this and take his statements to be factual...it is outrageous that ANYONE could claim that Obama's tax plan or even his recipe for righting the country resemble anything at all related to true conservatism....here's an an analogy that might help..someone claims they're conservative for the most of their adult life...so let's say his automobile runs on gasoline...now, all of a sudden he says the gasoline has changed so he's going to put coal in his car to run it...both are sources of fuel but the coal won't work in a conservative car....it just can't...You can't mix liberal and conservative ways of governing...he's going to have to give up the car run on gasoline and opt for the coal machine...so essentially the author of this article is no longer a conservative...

 

Tara

[Jenny in Atl]

The Libertarian Case for Obama

 

Seven potential upsides to a hope-monger presidency

 

Terry Michael | September 19, 2008

 

For those who recognize that "libertarian Democrat" is no more oxymoronic than "libertarian Republican," a solid case can be made for Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) as a Leader of the Free World who won't take that American Exceptionalism conceit as seriously as "Country First" Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

 

Sure, we'll have to endure four or even eight years of warbling by Barbra Streisand at White House dinners. And I am under no illusions: Obama has more Populist-Progressive than Madisonian inclinations. But, guys and gals, Ms. Wasilla is no less stomach-churning than Babs. And the actual Republican presidential candidate is even more authoritarian than his Progressive hero, Teddy Roosevelt. John McCain is no friend of Friedman.

 

Thus, seven reasons libertarians can hope for the best from Obama.

 

1. Sen. Obama has met at least one war he doesn't love. His early pronouncements against the criminal enterprise in Iraq are enough reason, in themselves, to vote his way on November 4. Anyone paying the least attention must conclude that Lt. McCain's "cause greater than self" always involves the Army, the Navy, and the United States Marines (not necessarily in that order.)

 

2. The election of an African-American will end liberal racism as we know it. If an overwhelmingly white nation chooses a black leader, the Jesse Jacksons and other Mau Mauers for identity-based group preferences will be put out of business, as I explained here.

 

3. One word: Osmosis. You couldn't live in Hyde Park or teach at the University of Chicago with the intellectual curiosity of a Barack Obama without gaining at least some understanding of libertarian economics. That can't be said for most of the reactionary left-liberal wing of the Democratic Party dominating Capitol Hill. But I believe Obama is educable on free markets and I'm convinced that Democrats are ripe for a return in the next decade to the liberalism of our party's founder, Thomas Jefferson (I made this case two years ago in my libertarian Democrat manifesto.)

 

4. Obama is the best hope for keeping government out of your bedroom and away from your body. As would any Democratic standard-bearer, the senator from Illinois represents the pro-choice, pro-gay rights side of the cultural divide. And he has at least made interesting soundings about reducing America's status as the world's number one jailer, much of which is tied to drug offenses and other crimes without victims. No libertarian can feel comfortable with a Republican candidate who doesn't echo the personal choices demanded by his supposed hero, Barry Goldwater.

 

5. The hidden hand did well this month punishing stupidity. But libertarians committed to free markets, not corporate oligarchs, must pause to consider the need for field-leveling regulation. More precisely, we should ask whether there was sufficient enforcement of reasonable restraints already in place. We need Republicans to stand against excessive tinkering in markets, of course. But my modest retirement fund may be safer with Democratic regulators in charge than rogue elephants.

 

6. R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Yes, we need to restore America's reputation around the world. Anybody who's traveled beyond the Atlantic and Pacific in the past eight years knows America needs a makeover. Whatever you think of Barack Obama—unless, like the mindless U!S!A! crowd, you don't care what the world thinks—he will restore much of the goodwill we have lost when he raises his hand on January 20, 2009. That's significant for libertarians who believe in the importance of the nation most committed to free markets and free minds—ours—leading by example. More-of-the-McSame in foreign policy is something we can't afford.

 

7. Finally, Barack Obama is smart enough to follow the aspirations of the Gen Y, Millenials, and Echo Boomers next up on the American political stage. They want choices in both their bank accounts and their bedrooms. I don't have much empirical evidence for that, though the college students I teach suggest that such libertarian leanings are on the rise. After all, a generation growing up with an explosion of mega-data-informed choices literally at its keyboard fingertips will resemble the self-sufficient, liberty-loving founders of the Agrarian Age more than they'll resemble the social welfare liberals of the Industrial Era who gave us one-size-fits-all central authority mandates.

 

The oldest candidate in American history won't inspire such potentially libertarian change—but the senator from Illinois can. It's change in which you and I can believe, whether or not we believe in any candidate, including Barack Obama.

 

Terry Michael is Director of the non-partisan Washington Center for Politics & Journalism and former press secretary for the Democratic National Committee. He blogs at http://www.terrymichael.net.

[Jenny in Atl]

The Bush tax cuts—a solution for which there was no real problem and which he refused to end even when the nation went to war—led to huge deficit spending and a $3 trillion growth in the federal debt.

 

 

Here is where he goes wrong. First, there was/is a big reason to have tax cuts..to stimulate a lagging economy...without the attacks of 9/11 we would have had a little bit better result...but our nation's security demanded that funding go to this war. No one likes war...but can you admit that we have not had attacks on our soil since 9/11/2001? To me, that is worth it. There is no way that a true conservative would EVER vote for Obama...a true conservative is about LESS government...Obama is clearly for more government and his taxation plan will sink our country. Do the homework, don't rely on pundits who say this or that or have a flashy title...read through the evidence...form your own opinion.

 

I am weary of those who are conservative and put out the stories like "Top liberal senator switches sides to vote for McCain" just as I am equally weary of threads like this one that comes from a liberal trying to show "former conservative embraces Obama's plan"...it's just not so. Many would say that Lieberman was a liberal democrat at some point in his time..but what has really happened is that he moved more central in his thinking as did a lot of the republican thinktank....so it looked like he was 'switching' sides...not so,

 

So, please folks...don't read articles like this and take his statements to be factual...it is outrageous that ANYONE could claim that Obama's tax plan or even his recipe for righting the country resemble anything at all related to true conservatism....here's an an analogy that might help..someone claims they're conservative for the most of their adult life...so let's say his automobile runs on gasoline...now, all of a sudden he says the gasoline has changed so he's going to put coal in his car to run it...both are sources of fuel but the coal won't work in a conservative car....it just can't...You can't mix liberal and conservative ways of governing...he's going to have to give up the car run on gasoline and opt for the coal machine...so essentially the author of this article is no longer a conservative...

 

Tara

 

Really, I know lots of people who are liberal in some areas of their lives and conservative in others. McCain is even spouting liberal populist views in recent days given the financial news of the last few days. Calling for regulation on Wall Street after years of being a de-regulator, and saying social security should not be privatized after calling for it to be so. I think people change their views, and one can meld all sorts of "isums" to try to improve things. The view that one can only be conservative or liberal is simple minded at best. It's a continuum with all sorts of views along the way.

[Alexandra]

Really, I know lots of people who are liberal in some areas of their lives and conservative in others. McCain is even spouting liberal populist views in recent days given the financial news of the last few days. Calling for regulation on Wall Street after years of being a de-regulator, and saying social security should not be privatized after calling for it to be so. I think people change their views, and one can meld all sorts of "isums" to try to improve things. The view that one can only be conservative or liberal is simple minded at best. It's a continuum with all sorts of views along the way.

 

I consider myself to side with conservative thinking on some issues but very liberal on others. I always like to read what you have to say on political therads btw.

[tibbyl]

Dawn, you may enjoy reading John Dean's "Conservatives Without a Conscience."

[Margaret in GA]

Great post! I used to be a Republican, too. I still refer to myself as "conservatively liberal" I do not consider myself a Democrat, either, by the way. Both parties are big sell-outs in my opinion. I think I finally left the Republicans when they decided scientists all over the world were not to be trusted and had some sort of hidden agenda (Global Warming) . Or maybe it was when they decided to become the "war party". Or when a.m. radio became some sort of hate spewing machine full of lies and racism (Limbaugh's Magic Negro for instance).

 

Anyway, I'm refreshed and satisfied completely with my vote this time.

go, Obama!

Margaret

[Peek a Boo]

I agree that the Republicans are certainly not conservative anymore, but Obama is still way too left of anything even CLOSE to smaller-gvt conservatism for me.

But I'm not looking for a pragmatist --I'm looking for someone who will uphold the Constitution and defend the right to LIFE, liberty, and the pursuit [not guarantee] of happiness.

[sunflowerlady]

Thanks for posting that. It's very interesting. I do consider myself conservative and am a registered Republican. However, lately I have become more moderate as I realize that I agree with some issues from both parties. Both parties also have stands that I disagree with.

 

So, for the first time since I began to vote at the age of 18, I am undecided.:001_huh:

 

I always enjoy hearing why some would vote for Obama when they normally would vote the other candidate. I do like some of his plans and ideas.

 

Thanks again for posting this.

[Cricket]

I agree that the Republicans are certainly not conservative anymore, but Obama is still way too left of anything even CLOSE to smaller-gvt conservatism for me.

But I'm not looking for a pragmatist --I'm looking for someone who will uphold the Constitution and defend the right to LIFE, liberty, and the pursuit [not guarantee] of happiness.

 

Well stated! :iagree:

 

As far as the libertarian reasons for voting for Obama, I disagree with most of his analysis. If Obama is elected, Jesse Jackson is going to be put out of business? :lol: Somehow I don't think so! And I don't see how him taking the oath of office will repair our reputation with countries around the world. Sounds like wishful thinking to me.