THE PERMANENT PARTY (via Buttercup)

Right Turns: a review of 'Grand Old Party: A History of the Republicans' by Lewis L. Gould (James W. Ceaser, November 16, 2003, Washington Post)

Even though Gould's account emphasizes the discontinuities in GOP history, it also provides some evidence of permanence. Despite all their shifts, Republicans have shown an abiding commitment to four principles. First, the GOP has been the party of the idea of the nation, stressing this theme at its origins even when half the country denied it. Republicans have retained this pride in the nation, and it has always marked their brand of internationalism, so clearly on display today. Second, Republicans have placed great reliance on the "rising" individual and the self-made man. The horror of Republicans is for the wealth and property of society to be thought of as being owned collectively, to be distributed on the basis of "social justice." Third, the party has always been concerned with maintaining traditional standards of morality. From its early opposition to polygamy (coupled with slavery in the 1856 platform as one of "the twin relics of barbarism"), to the "just say 'no' to drugs" campaign, the party has stressed the connection between moral restraints and ordered liberty. Finally, the Republican Party has adhered to "Nature and Nature's God" as the transcendent source of truth. It has asserted this position in opposition to those who claim that standards derive only from evolving conceptions of morality, or from the social construction of values, or from humanitarian norms temporarily affirmed by bodies of international lawyers. A recourse to natural right was the first principle of Abraham Lincoln, just as it is the first principle of George W. Bush.

This entirely accurate description brings to mind an immensely silly essay from earlier this week, W Is for What?: Bush may be compassionate, but he's no conservative. (Jacob Sullum, 11/14/02, Reason)(via Kevin Whited):

Given that Bush is happy to endorse spending for which Congress has no constitutional authority (on education, prescription drugs, and farm subsidies, for example), perhaps it's not surprising that he has so little respect for the separation of powers between the federal and state governments. Still, it's disheartening to see a self-proclaimed constitutionalist abandon federalism whenever it conflicts with his personal impulses.

The most recent example is the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, which President Bush proudly signed earlier this month.

Libertarians like to cast themselves as true conservatives, even though their philosophy doesn't manage to actually conserve anything and as the party of liberty, even though their politics requires countenancing such things as slavery and abortion, both of which seem significant impositions on the individual in question.

Much as they'd like to think that Republicans have diverged from some libertarian ideal, the continuities of the nation's conservative party do seem obvious and intellectually coherent.

Posted by Orrin Judd at November 15, 2003 1:04 PM