The Spectacle Blog
Not sure whether this is one of those broken-clock moments or not:
When Barack Obama ended the Bush stem-cell policy last week, there were no such overheated theatrics. No oversold prime-time address. No hysteria from politicians, the news media or the public. The family-values dinosaurs that once stalked the earth — Falwell, Robertson, Dobson and Reed — are now either dead, retired or disgraced. Their less-famous successors pumped out their pro forma e-mail blasts, but to little avail. The Republican National Committee said nothing whatsoever about Obama’s reversal of Bush stem-cell policy… . Culture wars are a luxury the country — the G.O.P. included — can no longer afford.
(Via Memeorandum.) One hesitates to grant that Frank Rich is ever right about anything. There is still plenty of sleaze out there that culture warriors could conceivably leverage for political effect. And the conclusions Rich ultimately draws — that Obama can, among other things, repeal “Don’t ask, don’t tell” without fear of political fallout — may prove disastrous for Democrats, if heeded.
Nonetheless, the “values voter” phenomenon that so transfixed the commentariat in 2004 seems to have faded in significance. Mark Foley and Larry Craig may have assisted this process, but the economic crisis is obviously Issue No. 1 for both parties. Rich is certainly correct that, with Citibank trading for less than the cost of an ATM fee, the primary “value” voters are interested in now is the value of their 401Ks.
If there is any encouragement for traditionalists it is this: Just as there is little public appetite for conservative alarums over cultural issues, neither is there any appetite for liberal alarums. If the Obama administration makes a point of pushing liberal social policies, a backlash is possible, recession or no recession.
As for the Obama administration’s economic plan, permit me once again to repeat: It Won’t Work. If Obama’s handling of the economy is viewed as disastrous, it doesn’t much matter what cultural policies he pursues, since they can all be repealed with the stroke of a pen on Jan. 20, 2013. And Frank Rich knows zilch about economics.
View all comments (13) | Leave a comment
Related Blog Posts
More Blog Posts by Robert Stacy McCain
http://spectator.org/blog/2009/03/16/is-frank-rich-right
Follow us:
ADVERTISEMENT
SPONSORED LINKS
FLASHBACK TO: 1995
-
Pope Culture
A man of faith in a godless age is hitting Americans where it hurts.
-
Why the GOP Does Not, Like, Totally Suck
Mr. and Mrs. American Spectator Reader, let P.J. O’Rourke talk sense to your kids.
-
Dames at Sea
-
In the Absence of Guns
In Britain, defending your property can get you life.
-
The Metaphysical Martini
-
Counting the Costs of Clintonism
The debacle of this president’s administration is both a cause and a symptom of the decline of American values. Unless Congress impeaches him, that decline will go on unchecked. An eminent jurist surveys the damage and assesses the chances for the recovery of our culture.
-
Chuck McHagel
It won’t take long for conservatives to scratch this presidential wannabe off their 2008 scorecard.
-
The Legacy of Old John and Mother Fresh-Roasted
-
It’s the Best Time of the Year
The American Christmas, like the songs that celebrate it, makes room for everybody under the rainbow. Is that why so many people seem to be hostile to it?
-
The Bush Crack-Up
Was the President done in by the economy, or by the politics of the economy?
Clip of the Day
H/T to National Review Online
ADVERTISEMENT
Pingback| 3.16.09 @ 5:21AM
Is Frank Rich Right? — But As For Me links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Bob| 3.16.09 @ 10:32AM
RSM, when will you and the other ideologues ever learn? It didn't hurt Reagan to grow the debt dramatically. Bush was hurt because of the Iraq War and the housing bubble/job loss, not the huge debt he created. The moral of this story is that spending lots of money doesn't hurt you in politics because it doesn't immediately affect an individual's pocketbook. Therefore, Obama gets credit for spending when the economy is bad and it doesn't hurt him that he is creating lots of debt because it won't effect people's pocketbooks for a decade.
The economy will see a bottoming by the end of 2009 as I've said many times before and the vast majority of red and blue economists agree. We are beginning to see market capitulation and bank profits return. Citi and BofA said this and just today, Barclay's said the same thing. Bank profits mean that there will be a paydown of TARP funds and increased lending. The market is a leading indicator, and jobs are a lagging indicator. We will begin to see job growth next year if we've learned anything from economic history.
Believing Obama will fail at this is just another example over the "belief over reason" junket that you and other "conservative" Republicans are using to absolutely ruin the party.
Now I'm particularly upset by the debt issue, as I was with both Reagan and Bush, but this does not translate to main street -- it never has -- and it will not effect politics.
So, RSM, good luck with those meds.
WendyG| 3.16.09 @ 10:48AM
I so believe that Conservatism is ultimately the better philsophy, that I am content to sit back and observe, and wait - because I know Obama will fail. His policies will fail. He's already made more mistakes, gaffes and bad choices than most Presidents make in 4 years.
Crazies like Frank Rich are unable to admit this to themselves. They are so invested in Obama they have lost all reason.
Frank Rich IS A THEATER CRITIC. And a darn good one. Unfortunately he is obsessed with politics, about which he knows zilch. He's just a Bush/GOP-hating liberal. I wish he'd go back to the theater. Maybe then really bad plays like WICKED would fail. Saw that show over the weekend. Really, really, pedestrian. And of course, it took lots of swips at Bush. But most of all...it was just BAD.
But back to my main point. Liberalism will fail, Obama will get stale, and in 4 years we'll take back Congress. You'll see!! :)
yo| 3.16.09 @ 11:49AM
bob the commentor is a partisan hack with nothing worth listening to.
the debt does matter and the reason why is because, unlike reagan and bush, it won't help the economy. I know this is too difficult for the avg liberal to understand, but borrowing and spending your way out of debt WILL NOT WORK.
Thomas| 3.16.09 @ 11:58AM
Mr. Rich arrives at the wrong conclusion when he assumes that because President Obama was unmoved by the pressure from the "values voter" leadership, that that leadership has been emasculated and the "values voter" has disappeared. This is not the case. Barack Obama was going to sign that order because he had to. It elevated his standing with the pro-abortion crowd and cost him nothing. He doesn't need conservative voters and catering to them would hurt him more than it helps.
As for the economy, it will undoubtedly turn around, it always does. The only questions are how long will it take for a meaningful reversal and to what level will it revert. Both these conditions are dependent upon exactly what the chowderheads in Washington do, or don't do. On the bright side, it looks like we are a few steps closer to a large scale military conflict in the world. That might speed our recovery, it helped FDR.
S.C.| 3.16.09 @ 12:02PM
The culture war isn't dead, it's just been pushed aside by more impending problems. You don't worry about termites if you have a grease fire in the kitchen, after all. Obama realizes this; that's why he's trying to ram through a whole lot of stuff under the cover of "the crisis."
Red Phillips | 3.16.09 @ 12:19PM
"family-values dinosaurs"
Real nice. Frank Rich, another elitist media bigot.
Bob| 3.16.09 @ 12:36PM
Hey, yo, this board is filled with partisans like you who don't, or can't, understand history or reality. The GDP did not rise any faster under Reagan than it did under Clinton so to assume his debt helped the economy is to close your eyes to facts. Here is a graph of GDP:
http://www.data360.org/dsg.aspx?Data_Set_Group_Id=230
GDP growth under Bush was even worse. It was the Fed policy lowering the funds rate that helped the economy -- not the debt created. The average extreme right wing hack is loathe to look at factual data because it does not support your views.
By the way, I am probably more of a fiscal conservative than you. I am strongly against the creation of debt whether it comes from Bush, Reagan, or Obama. A true fiscal conservative wouldn't care who did it, only that it was done. That's how I know you are not a true conservative.
Wendy, history tells us Obama will succeed. People don't care about long term government debt, they only care about what affects them right now. Look at FDR who was elected 4 times for spending lots of money. Most liberal and conservative historians place him as the 3rd best President of all time. Reagan was placed as 10th and Bush at 39th. Clinton was 15th. There is no objective data that backs up your point of view. That's what's wrong right now with you ultra-right wing extremists -- you refuse to look at facts and analysis.
The problem with Republicans right now, is that we don't have an alternative plan. Republicans just call for tax cuts (which are not stimulative) and "no" to spending. There are lots of real conservative ideas out there supporting concepts like limited government and personal responsibility like a flat tax, productivity improvements in healthcare, a different commercial tax structure that will improve exports and appropriately tax imports to grow jobs, etc.
The problem is that there are few, if any, smart Republican leaders who will develop new concepts for the future. Instead, there is just a group of reactionary, Reagan is god, type backlookers. Besides, Republicans will never win again if the party does not become more inclusive. You social conservatives are relegating our party to the city dump.
section9| 3.16.09 @ 2:39PM
Ultimately, Obama will fail because the Chinese and other bankers won't tolerate being paid back in a deflated currency. Obama is ambitious, with other people's money-that's the problem. He's yet another crazy, spendthrift debtor to the Chinese.
Who'd have thunk it, that the Chicoms are the ones with their heads screwed on straight?
Chris| 3.17.09 @ 6:25PM
Wow, I'm amazed the American Spectator fell for Frank Rich's faulty logic.
Rich assumes that the culture war is over because there was no PR thunder over Obama's embryonic stem cell order. The flaws are that (1) There actually was a fair amount of public indignation from social conservatives over it; and (2) To the degree that the indignation was relatively muted, it is because today--unlike 2001 when Bush issued his ban on funding such research--everyone knew the battle had been lost last November 7.
A preview was seen when Nancy Pelosi suggested that Planned Parenthood needed $200 million of stimulus money for condom-based education because children are bad for the economy. A big part of the successful push back came from Frank Rich's favorite people.
Anyone actually following the social conservative movement knows they are gathering strength and picking their issues carefully. The "Freedom of Choice Act", so-called "hate" crimes legislation, the Fairness Doctrine, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA--which should be called the "Discrimination Against Religious Employees Act") and other titanic battles are ahead. When those are debated, Congress and Frank Rich will be hearing plenty from social conservatives of various faiths.