[Bruce Frohnen 03/01 03:57 PM]I would agree with Jonah that much of the eccentric behavior Rod describes is not INTRINSICALLY conservative, or even important; much of what Rod describes is an inchoate search for meaning within pro-life parameters. But the eccentricity and, even more, attempt to make sense thereof through a sacramental approach to life, points to a deep, longstanding and important rift in the conservative movement, or at any rate Republican party.
Traditional conservatives (and in the end that's how I'd describe Rod's
vision) simply have a different conception of reality and the good from neocons, libertarians and other progressive conservatives. Kirk loved to get a rise out of people by quoting lefties, even supporting Eugene McCarthy for President. But there was a serious side to his choices — he believed and wanted to point out that character is more important than policy position.
Moreover, he reveled in the variety of life, with all its eccentricities, even in its political mode. For conservatives like Kirk the point is not to craft the most consistent ideology possible any more than it is to produce maximum economic growth, but to forge an integrated, virtuous life. We all miss the mark, of course, but some of our more saintly brethren with bad politics may come closer than some of our more ideologically consistent brethren who let politics (or economics, etc.) trump morality.
This does not, I think, make us "radical centrists" to use Angelo's phrase.
Conservatism historically has been about moral order and a government that protects the fundamental institutions and relationships that enable us to lead good lives. But it does set traditional conservatives apart from their more progressive fellows, who want to "cut to the chase" with neat categories of thought and action rooted in public policy. Cutting to the chase is about efficiency, about treating politics, like economics, as a means to certain ends (greater individual choice and material well-being, usually), rather than as important modes of conduct in and of themselves.
