Conservatism as a Non-Ideology

February 28, 2006 by Publius  
Filed under Conservatism, Defense, Foreign Affairs, National Politics

Great post on American Conservatism via OpinionJournal.com. Since the post World War II rebirth of conservatism in America one its greatest strengths is also one of its greatest weaknesses.

There is no book, no “sacred text” explaining what American-style conservatism is. According to Russell Kirk, American conservatism is not even an ideology. What is it then?

The closest that we can really come is Frank Meyer’s view of “fusionism”. Conservatism in modern America is really a series of fluid alliances between sometimes disparate groups. How else could we have an administration run by “big government conservatives”? This is as big an oxymoron as “Pro-defense Liberals” since the death Scoop Jackson.