Alex writes some thoughtful stuff. Makes me think. So after writing a comment I often decide a reblog is required.
What follows is the comment I would have left.
I think you are making The Establishment out to be more virtuous than it is. Think about what it means when we call Trump an outsider. Outside of what?
What describes The Establishment? The expression Crony Capitalism works well. Now consider that in the context of your “praise” for the opposition.
-They show up.
-They make noise.
-They don’t form circular firing squads.
-They air internal debates IN PRIVATE.
-They spend money on what they believe in.
-They provide rhetorical support to their allies.
-They are united against their foes.
-And–here’s a big one–their millionaires and billionaires support art and culture. Ours support open borders, foreign wars, and corporate tax cuts.
Because of Crony Capitalism, your last bullet is the big one. The Establishment works together to protect and expand the system they have devised because it is in their economic interests to do so. It is about money, not virtue.
What should unite Conservatives? Love. Conservativism is not about “ME”. It isn’t rabid individualism for its own sake. We defend the rights to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness because we love our family, friends, and neighbors, and we want to protect them from abuse and enslavement by egomaniacal and tyrannical busybodies.
To fight The Establishment, we have learn again what the people who founded this country once knew. We have to learn how to work with our neighbors in voluntary associations. That’s not easy, but love overcomes.
Citizen Tom 
Very true
Ahh, good post! I kind of share some of Alex’s feelings about “conservatism.” Sometimes I wonder, are we actually conserving something or are we just hoarding an ever smaller corner of the pie? We really need to get out there and engage the culture, shape the culture, really. So many of the issues I care about are not conservative issues, simply because conservatism hasn’t really addressed them, or thought to lead the discussion.
Say what you will about President Trump, but I think he’s a good fighter, and I think that has a lot to do with his popularity. One reason why conservatives tend to do so poorly in elections is because of that gap between us and the culture at large.
-And–here’s a big one–their millionaires and billionaires support art and culture. Ours support open borders, foreign wars, and corporate tax cuts.
Hm…well, in 2011 we had the highest effective (after “tax breaks”) corporate tax rates in the world. Very recently we turned this around. And our economy improved…giving corporations a reason to come here/come back/stay probably had a lot to do with that. More money into the economy and more things produced here= more money for funding the arts. If you want to see the opposite impact, see what Puerto Rico did. They offered tax breaks which resulted in a pharmaceutical industry boom. When that phased out (thanks Clinton) and they increased corporate taxes, it resulted in the flight of their pharmaceutic industry. Results were devastating to their economy. Imagine losing 40 percent…almost half, of a country’s manufacturing job base. That’s what happened in a very short time after the tax changes.
And Trump is trying to get us out of foreign wars, not into them. That topic could be a subject in and of itself. A very long subject. As could immigration.
But I might buy his book…or add it to my long, long, long queue of books on kindle I need to read.
My curiousity is piqued. 🙂
Okay, done. Only a buck!
🙂
Tom, I think I’m pretty savvy politically but I found it hard to follow who was calling out who or what. I found this on your post, which is rather unusual, so I went over to the original post.
My confusion wasn’t your fault, nor mine. I will just say that I think there’s a lot of work to do in pulling down hackneyed tropes about Right and Left, even among people on the righter-thinking Right, who think they are having new ideas. Comfusion and despair follow.
I think you wrote this part. Can I print it up and keep it in my wallet to show people who throw out those tropes so easily? It is perfect, Amen.
What should unite Conservatives? Love. Conservativism is not about “ME”. It isn’t rabid individualism for its own sake. We defend the rights to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness because we love our family, friends, and neighbors, and we want to protect them from abuse and enslavement by egomaniacal and tyrannical busybodies.
@madblog
Sorry! Your comment went into the spam queue, and I had to fish it out. Why did it go there. My guess is that you have been commenting on some unfriendly blogs, and they stuck your comments in the spam queue. Some so-called tolerant people don’t tolerate disagreement well.
I did write that, and I would be honored if you used it.
I don’t think the ideas are mine, but I suppose the phrasing is. So whether you attribute the words to me or that famous fellow named “anonymous” doesn’t much matter. I just hope that understanding of the word “Conservative” catches on among Conservatives.
No apology necessary. I haven’t been commenting much anywhere—maybe that had something to do with the location of my comment. Thanks again for the concise apologetic.
@madblog
You are most welcome.