The presidential contest is not simply an election about who rules America; it is also an election about which set of principles defines American politics. For the past two and a half decades, conservatism has set the agenda. Is the left making a comeback?
I don't think so. Notice that Democrats avoid terms like "the left" and even "liberalism" like the plague, while Republicans routinely associate themselves with the "right" and the "conservative" label. Also the left is now defined by shrieking demagogues like Michael Moore, while intelligent people are keeping their distance or moving out of this menagerie.
In this connection, the case of David Mamet is a revealing one. It has now been six months since playwright David Mamet declared himself an admirer of America and the Constitution, and bid farewell to what he called the "brain dead left." Our left-leaning literary and cultural intelligentsia is still in shock.
The New Statesman warned that Mamet was embracing a "Hobbesian strain of conservatism." The folks at the Daily Kos website feigned indifference: "Who really cares?" But until this time Mamet was regarded as a virtual demigod of American high culture. Now we can expect the accolades to stop.
So what turned Mamet around? Well, it's been a change coming for some time now, and presumably it's not the kind of change that Barack Obama is looking for. Consider this piece of dialog from Mamet's play Bobby Gould in Hell. When Bobby echoes the old liberal nostrum, "Nothing's black and white," he receives this crushing response: "Nothing's black and white? What about a panda?"
Then there was a play that I saw several years ago on Broadway, Mamet's Oleanna. While Mamet disclaimed any political motives, you only had to see the play to recognize that it was about the feminist witch-hunt. Basically a female student (somewhat reminiscent of a young Hillary Clinton at Wellesley) makes false allegations of sexual harassment against a well-meaning but incautious liberal professor. In the name of the sisterhood, she destroys the poor man's career. I think resistance to political correctness played a big role in showing Mamet the exit out of liberalism.
Still, Mamet's essay in a March issue of the Village Voice, "Why I am No Longer a Brain Dead Liberal," came as a complete surprise. In this essay Mamet did not declare himself a Republican or a McCain voter. HIs conversion was to a kind of philosophical conservatism. Mamet affirmed what he called the conservative or tragic view of life over the liberal or perfectionist view.
Mamet openly identified with his Jewish heritage and boldly said that National Public Radio might as well stand for "National Palestinian Radio." Mamet also expressed unabashed love for America, which is something that left-wing Democrats only express at their presidential conventions when it is time to put on a performance for the American people who are watching. The rest of the time they are mentored by the likes of Jeremiah Wright whose motto is better expressed as "God damn America."
Perhaps most touching, Mamet expressed the profound sense of liberation that all independent-thinking people feel when they stop kowtowing to liberal shibboleths. "I no longer need to believe the drivel that is spoken around me," Mamet said. "I feel lighter already." To which I can only say: welcome home, David Mamet.
Reader Comments ( Page 4 of 26)
46. DD;
Nice try but once again you fail in your attempt at disinformation. You try to paint the political party of the Democrats with the brush of certain far left, overly polically correct, multi-culturist people. That's no different than me saying all Republicans are white supremicist neo Nazis.
This is really a bad article...I'm sorry I wasted the time in reading it.
John Galt
John Galt at 11:30AM on Sep 19th 2008
47. M2D5: so, all of a sudden, the thoughts of Camille Paglia matter to you?
Ian X. Christian at 11:31AM on Sep 19th 2008
48. Republican's don't want to be republicans anymore - who would if they had to identify with Bush?
Now the emphasis is on being conservative and with McCain that it an ever changing point of view.
The fact that DD always fails to see, is there is no absolutes when describing anyone as strictly liberal or conservative. There is no such being, after all, if DD was a strict conservative he wouldn't have married outside his own race.
There are liberals who carry guns and would bomb someone if they felt it was warranted. There are conservatives that think some government oversight is a good thing,and don't have a problem asking for a little hanky-spanky in the mens john. Go figure, DD is, as usual, an elitist wanna be.
TJ at 11:34AM on Sep 19th 2008
49. 46. M2D5: so, all of a sudden, the thoughts of Camille Paglia matter to you?
Ian X. Christian at 11:31AM on Sep 19th 2008
I saw her initially on a Sixty Minutes profile some time ago and was intrigued by her. I have watched her several times on different C-SPAN events. She speaks her mind. Though I may not agree with everything she may have ever stated, I appreciated the times that she raised points of opposition to groups she was a member of or supported. It was quite obvious how things really were after her article at Salon.com.
Amazing how it's a case of "kill the heretic" when someone dares to vary from a set line of thought.
M2D5 at 11:55AM on Sep 19th 2008
50. I don't think so. Notice that Democrats avoid terms like "the left" and even "liberalism" like the plague, while Republicans routinely associate themselves with the "right" and the "conservative" label. Also the left is now defined by shrieking demagogues like Michael Moore, while intelligent people are keeping their distance or moving out of this menagerie.
D'Losin D'isblog
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Well, easy explanation of that. They used to mean good things until the words were professionally and systematically demonized by the right wingnuts over the last twenty years or more. We liberals suck at demonizing, since we aren't as in touch with our inner demons. And we're too nice to want to be associated with the words anynore since people will automatically think ill of us for it since they've been dumbed down about it so much. Too bad, because as was pointed out, Jesus was a Liberal. Deny it. I dare anyone here to deny that Jesus was a LIBERAL. Go on. I double-dog-dare you.
Saint Brian the Godless at 12:12PM on Sep 19th 2008
51. not to mention that without liberalism, the USA would never have come about, the civil rights movement would not have happened, and women would not have the right to vote.
Pope Cack IV at 12:17PM on Sep 19th 2008
52. On an unrelated tangent, Joe Biden was quoted (out of context of course) as saying that the rich should feel patriotic about paying their fair share of taxes, their fair share of course being a bit more than they're paying now, so that the middle class and the poor can at least eat and send their kids to school. And the right cried foul loud and strong! As if paying your taxes is EVIL or something.
What's more patriotic than supporting your own government financially? Can't see that, huh? You see it as redistribution of wealth, since you wanna keep it all, selfish ego-babies that you are. I'm not even rich and I don't mind paying my taxes as long as the country is not being INTENTIONALLY run into the ground like your side is doing with it for corporate profit.
Man up, little wussies. WWJD here? Oh right, He's only for when you need to look moral when you're not.
Saint Brian the Godless at 12:18PM on Sep 19th 2008
53. Let me restate the question, as I truly want an answer to it from the christans.
I'll even post it in ALL CAPS to make sure you don't miss it.
WAS JESUS A LIBERAL OR A CONSERVATIVE IN HIS PHILOSOPHIES, HIS WORDS, HIS LIFE?
I DARE you to say he would have been a conservative.
Saint Brian the Godless at 12:20PM on Sep 19th 2008
54. Amazing how it's a case of "kill the heretic" when someone dares to vary from a set line of thought.
M2D5 at 11:55AM on Sep 19th 2008
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When that set line of thought is "intelligence" then yes, we care. We're terrified of her, for good reason. She's a disaster in high heels.
Saint Brian the Godless at 12:23PM on Sep 19th 2008
55. Oops, you were talking about Camille Paglia. It sounded like you were talking about Sarah Palin. Guess I have her on my brain. Like a really, really scary horror movie.
Saint Brian the Godless at 12:28PM on Sep 19th 2008
56. Beatified Brian, Jesus must have been conservative, and I would bet, dollars to donuts, a republican.
After all, he was a good christian man, right?
Ergo.....
America's Most Gangsta at 12:31PM on Sep 19th 2008
57. And since this is a new blog I am compelled to post my spamlet here as well.
I'm sorry, I don't wish to be obnoxious. I'm not begging here. I just like to hear from you guys. Makes me feel complete, like in Jerry McGuire.
http://saintbrianthegodless.blogspot.com/
Seriously, I'll miss all of you, so stay in touch one way or the other if you can.
Saint Brian the Godless at 12:31PM on Sep 19th 2008
58. 55. Beatified Brian, Jesus must have been conservative, and I would bet, dollars to donuts, a republican.
After all, he was a good christian man, right?
Ergo.....
America's Most Gangsta at 12:31PM on Sep 19th 2008
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Oh, certainly. I can just picture him stoning a homo.
Saint Brian the Godless at 12:33PM on Sep 19th 2008
59. How many dollars to how many donuts? I'm hungry.
Saint Brian the Godless at 12:34PM on Sep 19th 2008
60. I'm sure that Jesus would have loved the Bush Doctrine.
At least He had a reason to not know what it is.
Saint Brian the Godless at 12:35PM on Sep 19th 2008