George Carey

by George W. Carey

A survey of the present American political scene provides, I believe, the background and point of departure for examining more permanent and basic aspects of American institutions and politics that pose enormous obstacles to the realization of principles long associated with traditional conservatism. More specifically the eclipse (some might say the disappearance) of traditional conservatism when both Congress and the presidency are controlled by Republicans is no anomaly; it is, instead, the predictable outgrowth of an interplay between the political culture and institutions. Let me begin with three salient observations relating to conservatism and to our present political environment.

First, a consensus exists among media pundits, editorial writers and the like—and, therefore, one would assume among wide sectors of the politically aware as well—that the current Bush administration is among the most conservative in history. Some media commentators, perhaps most, even regard it as the most conservative ever. In any event, there is no dearth of analyses that stress President George W. Bush’s conservative values and outlook, as well as how they find expression in the policies he advances. Moreover, liberal Democrats who take exception with administration policies contribute to this consensus by frequently characterizing these policies as conservative in the extreme. In a more general vein, it is not at all uncommon to hear that, with the election of Bush, and now with Republican majorities in both chambers of Congress, the country has witnessed a triumph of conservative principles over the badly divided, defensive, and intellectually barren forces of liberalism.[1] [Read more...]

George Carey

by George Carey

The chief difficulty in assessing the state of contemporary American conservatism is arriving at some understanding of its nature and meaning. What makes this task so difficult is that conservatism, unlike liberalism, is not an ideology. Proof of this, I think, resides in the fact that whatever principles we might come up with to embrace the various conservatisms in the free world are so general, lofty, and abstract that they reveal little about the “essences” or peculiar characteristics of the conservatisms from which they were derived. Nor, for this reason, are these principles of much help to the various conservatisms in dealing with the political realities of their own nations. On the other hand, precisely because liberalism is an ideology, its principles and goals are essentially the same from country to country. Liberalism’s ideological character accounts for the well-known body of unity and sense of camaraderie that exists among liberals throughout the world. It even helps to account for the well-known phenomenon of the “Volvo liberal.” [Read more...]