The End of a Long Campaign

And the end of an era, the era of conservative politics in America (at least in the executive branch), which stretches back to 1980 and possibly to 1968. Sen. McCain, an American hero who somehow missed his political moment in 2000, gave a gracious concession speech. President-elect Obama, who moves into the White House with clear majorities in both houses of Congress, gave an eloquent and rather restrained acceptance speech. It's over. Time to move on to something besides politics.

So, as promised, I'm going to take a break from the blog for a week or two. Or three. I'll be back.

Comments

[Dan]

Don't you mean "stretches back to 2000"? Or are you really calling Bill Clinton a conservative?

You're right though. This is the effective end of the "Moral Majority", the divisive, culture war, wedge issue Republican ideology. I hope Republicans go back to the drawing board and come up with something kinder, more compassionate, and closer to the Gospel of Jesus Christ most of them claim to follow.

[Vito]

Dave, my friend, I feel your pain.

Spent most of the evening avoiding the news, expecting the inevitable outcome. Woke up (earlier than usual and unable to sleep -- imagine that). And your blog was the first I checked. I think some time off for all of us due....

/ attempt at levity and humor /
Do you think you can finish your bomb shelter by January 20th? I should have finished acquiring my four-year's food supply by then.
/ end attempt at levity and humor /

[Jettboy]

"And the end of an era, the era of conservative politics in America"

I will not go quietly into the night!

If this holds for more than four years than moving to Sadi Arabia sounds inticing. Perhaps I will become Mulsim (with secret Mormon beliefs) so I can move to a country where G-d's commandments are more than a nice idea put in the closet.

[Matt W.]

Jettboy, Yikes.

Dave, it'll be nice to talk about something else in a few weeks. Maybe some new book reviews. After all It's just a few weeks until the Joseph Smith Papers come out.

Dan, you said you'd retire. Please?

[Geoff J]

That sounds about right for you Jettboy.

Dave -- I agree with you about McCain in 2000. The world would be a different place if he had just won that Republican primary. Such is life. Both men gave excellent speeches I thought. The future looks bright for the USA.

[C Jones]

Just don't be gone too long please :-)

[Martin Willey]

Jettboy: Where have you been living recently?

[Clark]

Dan, I really don't like the social-conservatives. However to say that it is the end of the "moral majority" is pretty wishful thinking. Look at how Prop-8 won in California - something I sure didn't expect. Stronger bans won in most other states. To say the "culture wars" are over seems incorrect. I think we can say that a big chapter in race relations has closed and thankfully a new one has opened.

Whether one agrees or disagrees with Obama this is a major event in US history and something uniquely American in many ways. I think we could have had a black President 12 years earlier had Colin Powell run against Bill Clinton (and probably avoided a lot of the problems started at the beginning of this decade) But that didn't happen. What I'd like to see now is Asian Americans who are still too invisible in US politics to take a more prominent place.

I agree that the Republican party needs to reinvent itself. I pray small government economic conservatives come to dominate. The big government movement is thankfully at an end.

[The]

I think we could have had a black President 12 years earlier had Colin Powell run against Bill Clinton...

I was ready to vote for that.

[Dan]

Matt,

Dan, you said you'd retire. Please?

Yes I am. I'm going to update my post from early September later today and call it a game.

Clark,

I have no problem in standing up for what is right. What I'm saying is that Republicans have been using moral issues as wedge issues, and that has come to an end. Or at least I hope so.

What I hope Obama will do is stop adventuring around the world, bring us back to our own problems. We've got to rein in our extravagant spending. We need to live within our means if we are to remain a superpower in the world. We must not have debt in the hands of the Chinese, or they will end up telling us what to do.

We may have to make peace with the Pashtuns and Taliban.

[Clark]

I guess what I'm saying is that moral issues will continue to be wedge issues for both sides. The whole strategy of wedge issues isn't going to change.

[John Mansfield]

It feels like the end of an era to me to, due to the Democratic sweep of strengthened majorities in both the House and the Senate and a new president. In the 1970s it felt like Congress had always been Democratic and always would be. Then Reagan was elected and there was a Republican Senate majority. The flux in the Republican-Democratic balance of power since 1980 has been an active, changing thing, but now it feels like it could be 1960 with a static political future in the hands of the Democrats.

Your seasonal political blogging has been enjoyable, Dave.

[R.W. Rasband]

Whether it truly is "the end of a conservative era" depends a lot on how successful Obama is. If he tries to rule from the left and wrecks the economy even further; or if he projects weakness to our enemies who are then tempted to attack us again as on 9/11, then conservative doubts about Obama would be vindicated. And Obama would begin to look like the new century's Jimmy Carter and the way would be open for a new conservative moment. Obits for conservationism are premature until we see how Obama actually does, and its a little amusing to watch how many on the left (not you, Dave) are forgetting this.