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David Frum Comeback: Conservatism That Can Win Again

The new Tower of Babel



I was reading an excerpt from David Frum’s new book Comeback: Conservatism That Can Win Again and it occurred to me that the difference between conservatives and liberals (or as Frum put it, Republicans and Democrats) is far greater than most people might think.

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Conservatives and liberals don’t just disagree in the realm of ideas; they’re talking a completely different language. Conservatives tend to believe that individuals are much better equipped to look after their own self-interest than government, while in the liberal mind, the exact opposite appears to be prevalent. Frum quoted some really interesting polls that highlighted the fact conservatives and liberals are from different planets. On the question of government, liberals and Democrats tend to believe that big government can solve all problems, but put little or no trust in the people who elect those governments. Democrats and liberals tend to attribute success or failure to forces that they consider beyond their control and believe that traditional American culture is violent and racist by nature. Subsequently they are looking for a radically new model of governance, larger, more powerful, macrocosmic in scope and likely to be selected, rather than elected. Conservatives, on the other hand have an innate mistrust of government and strive to limit its growth. They tend to be proud of national traditions and believe wholeheartedly in the concept that individuals create their own realities, are the authors of their own successes and their failures. The difference between Democrats and Republicans couldn’t be illustrated more starkly than was shown by a former editor of The New Republic magazine who polled groups of liberals and conservatives about their top foreign policy priorities. The top priority among conservatives was “destroying al Qaeda”; while among liberals it was “getting out of Iraq”. The second most important foreign policy goal among conservatives was stopping the spread of nuclear weapons to hostile countries. Liberals’ second highest priority was to stop the spread of AIDS. When compared to conservative foreign policy priorities, the priorities of liberals are defeatist and ineffectual. I’m sure getting out of Iraq is an important goal for both conservatives and liberals, but the difference lies in the manner in which we get out of Iraq. Withdrawing from Iraq having accomplished all our goals is one thing. However, if a withdrawal is motivated by fear of our enemies, then our enemies will not hesitate to pursue us all the way home. The second priority among conservatives and liberals is also telling. Conservatives want to ensure national security by limiting the number of nations with atomic weapons, while liberals want to stop the spread of AIDS. This says two things about liberals’ viewpoints. The first is that they are totally unconcerned about possible attacks from those who have vowed to destroy us. It’s almost as if the terrorist acts against US interests starting with the first World Trade Center bombing back in 1993 had never happened, as if they’d never heard the myriad threats leveled against us. The second foreign policy priority is to stop the spread of a disease the severity of which has been highly exaggerated by the very body that liberals adore, the UN, and that has little or no effect upon anyone, unless they adhere to certain lifestyle choices. One doesn’t catch AIDS by standing next to someone carrying the virus. While the theme of a leading Democrat presidential contender is one of hope and optimism, there is little or no optimism that ever emanates from liberals, unless it’s receiving news that the economy is tanking or that America is losing some war. Stories such as these tend to make liberals perk up. The true optimists are the conservatives whose “can do” attitude and self-reliance gives them the tools to face any challenge with a sense of purpose. And that’s a concept most liberals fail to understand.


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Klaus Rohrich -- Bio and Archives

Klaus Rohrich is senior columnist for Canada Free Press. Klaus also writes topical articles for numerous magazines. He has a regular column on RetirementHomes and is currently working on his first book dealing with the toxicity of liberalism.  His work has been featured on the Drudge Report, Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, among others.  He lives and works in a small town outside of Toronto.

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