conservatism is not dying
Eric Lotke has written a fairly nice post at Campaign for America's Future called "Conservatism Is Dying." Here are his remarks on conservatives' desire to shrink government:
The modern conservative movement is united less by belief in small government--a traditional constitutional value--than by disdain for government. [...] "Starve the beast," conservatives say. But what they really starve are the triumphs of previous generations and investments vital to our future.
Lotke contrasts other GOP slogans with their disastrous results, and closes with an observation that conservatism is "far from alive and well." We have, however, heard many such pronouncements in the wake of the 2006 midterms. American Conservative magazine said "good-bye" to conservatism, and Commentary asked "Is Conservatism Finished?" Many others penned similar opinions, and they were all overstatements. Conservatism, as a fundamental socio-political outlook, will never die; it waxes and wanes, it ebbs and flows, it is in and out of favor in Washington, but is a permanent part of our national psyche.
Whenever we liberals falter or fail in our attempts at progress, conservatives will be ready with their claims that we should stop right where we are and defend the status quo. They will always attract those who fear the pace of progress, or the idea of change itself, seemingly without regard to any realistic assessment of the situation's risks and rewards.