Comments on: middle-rite nation

By: LQ

LQ — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 17:18:27 +0000

definitely, the discourse has moved to the right. thus, commentators of all stripes can say with a straight face that “the media” is liberal, that harry reid & nancy pelosi are “far left” (of the radical reactionary right that’s dominated the Republican Party), and so on.

but allow that changes how we label our politics, the underlying politics continue to move in the direction of social liberalism and economic populism.

actually, now that i think of it, it’s a rather pleasing irony that the punditocracy and republicans — who so regularly decry arrogance & insularity & out-of-touchness in academia, the media, the political class, and everyone who is not them — turn out to, themselves, be so out-of-touch with popular opinion. (See also The Progressive Majority: Why a Conservative America Is a Myth, Media Matters, June 2007.)

By: tycho garen

tycho garen — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 16:26:29 +0000

While I think their logic (let alone their motives) are highly suspect, there is something to the idea that much of the political discussion has moved to the right in the last 40-some years. Like, I don’t think it’s a particular stretch to say that Richard Nixon, in today’s context would probably be thought of as being “really liberal,” which is both a) reasonably true and b) freakin’ scary. If anything, I’d read this as an indictment of the Democratic party for being too loyal of an opposition?

I agree with Thene, that social conservative is on a downward trend. I think John McCain (Palin not withstanding) represents a a move away from social conservatism–at least within the republican party–and it might take a while but it’ll happen…

By: LQ

LQ — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 15:05:15 +0000

Comparing leftness or rightness between nations is fiddly because of these multiple spectra of politics

Particularly with the US, where the terms have become so debased they are really meaningless. When you hear conservatives decrying “leftist fascism” or “eco-Nazi” etc. you know that something is really screwy with their use of language.

Optimistic — I *hope* you’re right about social conservatism as a political force.

By: Thene

Thene — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 03:28:19 +0000

I honestly expect that social conservatism will die out as a political force in the USA within the next two or three decades, but economic conservatism will always be present.

Comparing leftness or rightness between nations is fiddly because of these multiple spectra of politics – issues that are irrelevant or ‘decided’ in some nations might be heartfelt left-vs-right battles in others. Doesn’t always make sense to compare.