Conservatives: What Do You Want?

It's not surprising after last night's dispiriting debate at the Reagan Library that many conservatives remain unhappy with having to choose, as they now see it, between McCain and Romney. The show actually left me briefly feeling sorry for Mitt Romney because of the way McCain treated him over the ridiculous "timetable" issue. There was also something disturbing about McCain's naked contempt for Romney's businessman credentials. But feeling sorry for Romney made me feel no more sympathetic toward his policies. If anyone won the debate, Huckabee did, but his "God's standards" speech outweighs any evening's success. Ron Paul may as well have stayed home, not only because CNN mostly ignored him, but also because he's run out of things to say. So if conservatives are uninspired right now, that's understandable, though it remains hard to understand how Fred Thompson inspired any of them.

But I begin to tire of conservative whining. Mr. Right showed some maturity by deciding several weeks ago that he would hold his nose for the Republican nominee whoever it was, but his idols, Rush Limbaugh especially, have been stuck in a perpetual tantrum for the last few weeks, as if by crying over the radio they could make the Republican field disappear and bring Reagan back to life. It sounds to me as if they're afraid of losing their influence as they discover that they can't veto a McCain or Romney candidacy. The 2006 elections destroyed the myth that the radio and TV talkers could manipulate public opinion infallibly. The 2008 primaries threaten to destroy the myth that they are kingmakers within the Republican party. The outcome will force a question on them: what do they really want? Do they want an ideologically pure conservative party, or do they want power? Do they want their principles to win, or do they want to be on the winning team? If they actually believe in their beliefs, and if they're the bold risk-takers they claim to be, then they should take a chance and recruit Thompson or someone similar to run an independent campaign. Would they win this year? Probably not, but could they lose worse than Goldwater did in 1964? And don't they take inspiration from that devastating defeat because it laid the foundation for 1980? Or are these entrepreneurial spirits afraid of starting from scratch? Can they only imagine taking over the Republicans again like most of today's so-called entrepreneurs simply take over other businesses? It shouldn't surprise us if this is the case. By definition conservatives abhor imagination and mistrust innovation. They will probably prefer to stay in the basement ranting at their parents over striking out on their own because they still expect to inherit the house. Fortunately for them, the Republicans will be happy to have them stay where they are.