I don't know why RSM is so insistant on bringing up Ross
Douthat's Harvard credentials, since they don't speak to anything
anymore than my lower-tier ivy credentials might. They're
irrelevant to his argument, which is summarized as follows:
Senator McCain's loss should not necessarily be construed as a
failure of moderate Republicanism (though Rush is saying it is).
Instead, it's a failure of strategy, given its substance-free
approach.
Ross's assessment omits this point. The substance-free approach
of McCain and Co. is absolutely tied to moderate Republicanism
and the campaign's strategic failure. McCain's lackluster
response to the economic crisis is a perfect example of this. His
aversion to addressing issues was rooted in lacking a coherent
philosophy as the thread to weave through it. What was it the
press and conservatives have been howling about for months? The
lack of a message. Wouldn't that message have been solidified if
McCain ran on simply more than "I was for the surge before anyone
else was?"
Yet that's what moderate Republicanism offers. It offers a few
issues where their expertise might be attractive to independents.
In this game, however, a Democrat always wins. Why? Because a
Democrat can argue about the need for moderation as a way to
shortcircuit concern about going too far with spending. No one in
the party will call the candidate on his ambition. A moderate
Republican, however, has to contend with a party base that's a
little more discerning.
Rush's point was that true conservatism -- a belief in the right
to life, a strong national defense, and limited government,
resonates in a way that does not happen with watered-down
self-servatism, because the latter is too difficult to
effectively communicate in a way that resonates with independents
and core conservatives. The point is that you can reach
independents using a conservative message. When you try to simply
cater your message to independents, though, it makes little sense
-- because independents themselves have a philosophy that doesn't
quite make sense (otherwise, more people would be attracted to
it, right?).
Ran Hay, a commenter on Stacy's earlier post, puts it
fantastically well: "Even 'moderates' and 'undecideds' pine for
clear choices."
