Friday miscellaneous (11/9)

Alright, first things first. Many on the conservative side are reevaluating the Republican party after Tuesday’s trouncing. Some of the best analysis comes from Marc Thiessen and Jay Nordlinger.  Powerline shows the current divide in the conservatives as to why the loss happened. The Washington Post also has a pretty good rundown.

John Hinderaker presents a significant insight:

there is a much more important proposition that, I think, was proved false last night: that America is a center-right country. This belief is one that we conservatives have cherished for a long time, but as of today, I think we have to admit that it is false. America is a deeply divided country with a center-left plurality.

The best summary, however, comes from Ed Morrissey:

That reality presents a challenge to the GOP and to conservatives.  We do not need to change our values, but we do need to find ways to communicate them in an engaging and welcoming manner.  We need to think creatively about big issues, philosophy, and how we can relate conservative values to the needs of a wider range of voters.  Conservatism cannot become constrictionism, or the realignment will continue, and it will become ever more difficult to win national elections.

I was saying that even before the election, and the American Conservative echos, calling for a return to true conservatism (which is different than Republicanism):

What America needs most amid all this is conservatism: not the ideology of any party, but a disposition to conserve, and wisely invest, our national capital. The capital in question is not merely financial; Lord Salisbury, in an earlier era of humanitarian intervention and empire, warned against squandering “military capital” on unnecessary and unwinnable conflicts. More important yet is our civilizational capital—our habits and laws as a people, the written and unwritten Constitution. How has it fared? Our civil liberties and the civic fabric of American life have lately been torn to rags by both parties.

One top issue seems to be the Hispanic vote. Naturally, that is leading to calls for the Republican party to rethink their immigration stance (or at least settle on one--there hasn’t been a clear Republican stance on immigration for some time). Heather McDonald at NRO disagreed. I hope to write more on that topic in the coming weeks.

For evangelicals specifically, this might be a good time to reflect on the purpose of government. Thomas Aquinas, who has been unjustly dismissed by many evangelicals, might be able to help with that. And there’s also Scott Klusendorf’s demonstration of how he humbly and simply challenged a student who thought that the government should just stay out of the abortion issue. (This is several weeks old, but Newt Gingrich also strongly took on the abortion question.)

Some on the left, however, see Obama as a moderate Republican. And while MSNBC beat out Fox as the most biased news source, Fox still ranks within the conservative bubble which failed conservatives this election.

Meanwhile in non-election related political news, rumor has it that Queen Elizabeth has rescinded the Declaration of Independence. And the founder of Sealand, the smallest independent nation in the world, has passed away.

And finally, a classic case of misunderstanding: