Andrew Sullivan’s conservative credentials are suspect these days. On the other hand, the very fact that his credentials are suspect is a symptom of something wrong with the right side of the political spectrum. Still here’s what he has to say for himself:
On most issues, I side with what used to be the center-right, but the GOP is poison to me and many others. Why?
Their abandonment of limited government, their absurd spending under Bush, their contempt for civil liberties, their rigid mindset, their hostility to others, their worship of the executive branch, their contempt for judicial checks, their cluelessness with racial minorities and immigrants, their endorsement of torture as an American value, their homophobia, their know-nothing Christianism, and the sheer vileness of their leaders – from the dumb-as-a-post Steele to the brittle, money-grubbing cynic, Coulter and hollow, partisan neo-fascist Hannity.
Sullivan is maybe a little harsh in his criticism of Michael Steele — I’d agree that while he has not articulated himself well, he has raised some decent points to consider. I’d describe him as “clumsy” based on what I’ve seen so far, but not “dumb-as-a-post.”
“Know-nothing Christianism?” you cry, “What the hell does that mean?” The answer is, it’s that contempt for education and knowledge in favor of faith and religion, it’s what kept Congressman Mike Pence from being able to answer some relatively simple questions about science. It’s not that Pence is dumb or because he doesn’t know the scientifically right answers, but because he’s afraid of offending his constituency and therefore doesn’t know the right political answer:
But aside from that quibble, Sullivan is spot on. It seems to me that there are enough voices are out there crying for a real platform to emerge. When will someone actually put something on the table?
Ron Paul, Michelle Bachmann, Paul Ryan, Gov Jon Huntsman, just to name a few that have great ideas for a new platform. Will they gain a strong enough voice to put their agendas on the table?
Disagree on Rep. Bachmann. She is the way back, not the way forward.Agree on Rep. Paul is emerging as a source of good ideas these days. He needs to find a way to step away from some of the kookier ideas of his past because much of what he’s talking about now is good stuff. Or maybe he’s willing to accept a role as an “idea man” on the order of Barry Goldwater in the 60’s, Ronald Reagan in the 70’s, Jack Kemp in the 80’s, or Newt Gingrich in the 90’s. Don’t know enough about the actual policies offered by Gov. Huntsman or Rep. Ryan to opine.