My conversation with Kim Phillips-Fein, author of Invisible Hands: The Making of the Conservative Movement from the New Deal to Reagan
"To discover to the world something which deeply concerns it, and of which it was previously ignorant; to prove to it that it had been mistaken on some vital point of temporal or spiritual interest, is as important a service as a human being can render to his fellow creatures..." John Stuart Mill, "On Liberty"
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Conservatism...not so much
With the Republican brand all but destroyed; with fewer than twenty-five percent of Americans self identifying as Republicans, as conservatism become synonyms with fundamentalism, ignorance of science and the acceptance of torture, it seems natural that some would try hard to redefine and re brand the once proud tradition of conservatism. Kim Phillips-Fein, a historian at New York University, tries to do it by arguing that its historic, post New Deal strength was as the party of big business. I'm not sure it's a goal conservatives should aspire to today, but it's an interesting theory.