Latest Pajamas Media Column: Poor, Poor Put-Upon Moderates

by Melissa Clouthier | May 11, 2009 9:33 am

The moderates are feeling persecuted, marginalized, reviled and yes, put-upon. They also tend to inhabit the ranks of writers and journalists–you know, balanced, seeing all sides and generally talking around a topic. Because of their professional affiliation, those on the right get to hear their tortured logic and navel gazing ad nauseum. In response to this tiresome trend, I ranted at Pajamas Media[1]:

I’m tired of Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Tom Ridge, and the rest of them. I’m tired of the pontificating. I’m tired of the holier-than-thou bearing. I’m tired of the self-important smugness. Most of all, I’m tired of losing big elections and being lectured by the losers about how to win.

And I’d just like to say this to moderates feelings tweaked in the current Grand Old Party: get over it.

Please read the whole thing.

Eric Florack feels that Grassroots are “taking the wheel”[2], and I believe that’s true. And, they need to. Eric also talks about the politicians who sway with the wind and how they need to be held to account.

In addition, Matt Lewis wrote a must-read piece about Cosmopolitan Conservatives[3]. He talks about pulling politicians from the ranks of the professional class rather than the political class and why it’s often a big win for conservatives. He says:

If you stop to think about it, some of the conservative movement’s most effective advocates have been quite cosmopolitan. Charlton Heston, the acclaimed film star who marched with Dr. King and went on to lead the NRA, was a terrific conservative spokesman — as was William F. Buckley, the enfant terrible of the conservative cause, who, though not a movie star or famous athlete, was a wealthy and erudite conservative who essentially lived like a movie star.

While I caution conservatives from adopting an elitist mentality that looks down our noses at the “unwashed masses” and their leaders like Sarah Palin or Mike Huckabee, I do think it’s worth noting that some of our most effective conservative leaders — like Reagan, Kemp, Heston and Buckley — were anything but local politicians, by trade.

So, can the conservative movement please seek out some sophisticated conservatives who stay true to principles? Yes. And, we must.

Times, they are a-changing in the Republican party, and that’s a good thing.

Cross-posted at MelissaClouthier.com[4]

Endnotes:
  1. Pajamas Media: http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/poor-poor-put-upon-moderates/
  2. Grassroots are “taking the wheel”: http://bitsblog.florack.us/?p=20329
  3. Cosmopolitan Conservatives: http://townhall.com/blog/g/b8129536-3342-44db-84ed-a55d9ecd65b1
  4. MelissaClouthier.com: http://melissaclouthier.com

Source URL: https://rightwingnews.com/top-news/latest-pajamas-media-column-poor-poor-putupon-moderates/