The Slaughterhouse
Laughing Gas
With The Death of Conservatism, Sam Tanenhaus establishes himself as one of America’s premier comic geniuses in the field of political commentary.
(Page 2 of 2)
Tanenhaus says the American right “has missed the most salient fact about America today: the nation has entered a conservative phase, perhaps the most conservative phase since the Eisenhower years.” Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha. That is funny.
Supreme Court justice David Souter, Tanenhaus writes, “may well endure as the most authentic conservative in the Court’s modern history.” Ha ha ha ha ha ha!. Ho ho ho ho ho ho ho. Isn’t that rich?
“Culturally, too”—this is the best part, saved for the very last page—“these are conservative times.…[C]onservatives should savor the embrace of ‘family values’ by the nation’s homosexual population, who seek the sanctuary—and responsibilities—of marriage and childrearing.” Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. HA HA HA HA HA! (Weep!) Ho ho ho ho ho! HO HO HO HO HO! HA HA HA HA! As the children say, you can’t make this stuff up.
Ha ha ha ha ha. Ho ho ho ho.
What Tanenhaus does not seem…ha ha ha ha ha (sorry)…
What Tanenhaus does not seem to understand is that the right defines itself not just by what it longs to destroy, but by why it wants to destroy it. The right seeks to extend freedom—a word I do not recall seeing a single time in this book! (It’s not in Tanenhaus’s comic vocabulary, I guess.) Tanenhaus assumes (ha ha ha ha—sorry) that all the New Deal’s statist interventions and depravations of freedom are here to stay—that accepting the entire New Deal, even extending it, is to be on the winning side of history. Conservatives don’t agree. Not to understand that is to have absolutely no clue what conservatism is all about. Even so, don’t miss this book. It’s a gas.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (41) | Leave a comment
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Robert Rosencrans| 10.1.09 @ 7:29AM
One things for sure. They'll never call it Quality Care.
Alan Brooks| 10.1.09 @ 8:55AM
but Clinton conserved more than Dubya did.
Conservatism is more than just being anti-Marxist
and anti-socialist.
A. Brooks| 10.4.09 @ 5:34PM
but social conservatism has a much better future than anyone thinks. Tech will allow more freedom for everyone, including the very worst people; so social conservativism will become MORE important than ever, not less-- as gold becomes more valuable as its supply decreases.
davelnaf| 10.1.09 @ 9:26AM
Yes, liberals do love to say over and over that the conservative movement is dead. But as most people are well aware--and liberals, curiosly, are not, the mind goes back time and again to those things it most fears. That probably also explains why the Chosen O has only been vaguely interested in what the mullahs in Iran are up to.
Klabautermann| 10.1.09 @ 10:05AM
Daniel Oliver misunderstood Whittaker Chambers, stating that, "Chambers was a pessimist: he thought by leaving Communism he was leaving the winning side. In that he was wrong." Tanenhaus has the typical "progressive" outlook. I'm sure, that like Alam Colmes, he believes people like Van Jones are mainstream liberals. These people have successfully redefined the term "American." It is an America where a supposedly respectable charity like the United Way will fund organizations like ACORN but will not fund the Boy Scouts. They will win if winning is defined as "transforming" America. If winning is defined as establishing their Utopia they are doomed to failure. The edifice that these people have erected will be dismantled. It will be dismantled because it is based on a delusion. When they are finished looting the U.S. economy they will not be able to fund their glorious schemes.
cloakedone| 10.3.09 @ 9:43PM
You, sir (klabautermann),
You are the wisest one in here. What happened to the American Spectator? It seems they cloak themselves in deceit now and are part of the "new" well, I'm not sure what it is. Pur insanity, I suppose.
Anthony| 10.1.09 @ 10:35AM
Ah, run that one past me again, did Cannabis Sam say "conservatives only offer nihilism"? So much for the limited use of medicinal marijuana.
What a wonderful juxtaposition, TAS & Mr.Mehan offering an article on the same day that quotes the magnificant Gertrude Himmelfarb, and the culture of death that liberals are so enamoured with.
So let's see, Sam sees those of us who fight for human life and dignity, at both ends of the spectrum as offering up nothing but nihilism. Those of us who believe in the rule of law, limited government, and the rights of the individual, as promotors of a culture of death. Whoa, I guess marijuana is indeed a gateway drug afterall.
And what was that about certain tame and toothless Republicans (my words) who lived within the "boundaries of Constitutional precedent". This type of dangerous speech has me thinking we might need a 1st Amendment Tzar afterall. That would be Obama Tzar # 22, or 23, can't keep count.
Tanenhaus, like his fellow leftist travelers, lives in a parallel universe that resembles his favorite TV show, Star Trek, or was it Jackass? Maybe Sam is after Olbermann's gig.
progressivismsucksdoesn'tit?| 10.3.09 @ 9:40PM
I always thought this magazine was a conservative one? I think they've sold out.
Seek| 10.1.09 @ 11:37AM
Tanenhaus' book needs a critique, not a taunt. Oliver didn't address the book's flaws, but chose instead to treat the work as some unintended joke.
Ha, ha ha. Clever, aren't I? Just like Dan.
Son Of Sam | 10.1.09 @ 1:05PM
Oh puhleeeaze: this book needs to be composted, not reviewed
stand strong until freedom dawns
Son Of Sam
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Yosemeti Sam| 10.3.09 @ 11:18AM
" Laughing Gas ...."
From which end?
Long Ben| 10.3.09 @ 2:37PM
Obamba used the centrist sounding cant " no new
taxes on any family making less than $200,000," to gull the gullible in the purple purple states. While the MsnNbcs of the world were so enamored of Obama's negritude they could not be bothered to vet his truly radical associations, thereby getting to the true radical essence of Obama himself.
Obama a centrist ? ha ha ha
With the money supply being increased X15 times we'll soon see if inflation is or is not a tax on the "great middle class " to whom fake centrist Pols pander, yet whom the radical left secretly hate as the prime enemies of the Revolution.
Ditto also to increased electric bills if Cap and Tax should pass.
Pingback| 10.6.09 @ 1:56PM
Steynian 387 « Free Canuckistan! links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Alan Brooks| 10.7.09 @ 11:43PM
Social conservatism has a much better future than anyone thinks. Tech will allow more freedom for everyone, including the very worst people; so social conservatism will become MORE important than ever, not less--
as gold becomes more valuable as its supply decreases.
Ronny Diaz| 1.7.10 @ 2:09PM
Wow, this was a really quality post. In theory I'd like to write like this too - taking time and real effort to make a good article... but what can I say... I procrastinate a lot and never seem to get something done.
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