Brian Anderson makes the case that conservatism is on the rise but he also acknowledge that the left still have the upper hand. More people still get their news from NBC, CBS or ABC as oppose to Fox cable news and the left still dominate academic on most college campus despite the increase of conservatism activities. The battle of ideas is continues.
As for conservative ideas, they are continuously evolving. American conservatives are not dogmatic or certainly less dogmatic than their left counterpart. It doesn’t hurt that conservative free market ideas have proven superior to their left counterparts over the past three plus decades, so many young people can see for themselves who is right and who is wrong.
While the libertarian fraction and the social conservatives will debate many of the social issues, they are in agreement over most economic issues and that America power is a plus for the world. As Brian Anderson concludes, “Over time, a greater numbers of right of center voices will find audiences, whether it’s via talk radio, blogs, cable news, the press, the entertainment world, and even academe. The left will have to reexamine, argue and refine its positions, so many of which have proved disastrously wrong, and stop living off the past. It’s hard to imagine that this development won’t result in a broader, richer, deeper national debate—something liberals of an older, John Stuart Mill-stripe would have welcome. It’s also likely to result in a more conservative America.”
Article comments
1 - Harvard Irving
This isn't a book review, it's political posturing.