Prometheus 6

Mr. Brooks is dismayed because Republicans have stopped believing their own press.

Republicans seem to have gone from believing that culture is nothing, to believing that culture is everything — from idealism to fatalism in the blink of an eye.

How does that happen? It's only possible if you never really believed in your idealism.

Come on, folks...how do you, idealistically, combine religious fundamentalism with gambling (never mind all those Bingo games in Catholic school cafeterias every Friday)?

European conservatives from Edmund Burke to Michael Oakeshott usefully remind us of the power of culture and tradition. But American conservatives — from Hamilton to Reagan — have never taken that path precisely because they believe in the power of the American creed, precisely because they have an Enlightenment faith in the power of reason to change minds.

Excuse me? Conservatives never used the power of culture and tradition? If that's the case, what exactly justifies applying the term "conservative" to them? The basis of Republican electoral successes have been appeals to the local culture and tradition.

Mr. Brooks actually makes me despair sometimes. He's actually smart as hell, which means such tripe as this is produced intentionally.

Whether in Iraq or the barrio, history is not a prison. Culture shapes people, but cultures are changeable.

Now, this is important. While you scramble for position, the people who share Mr. Brooks' interests are tipping the whole board.

Remember that.

Fortunately, there is a great Republican leader who understood the balance between culture and creed: Abraham Lincoln. In this spring of Republican discontent, his approach and governing method will make a good subject for a future column.

Fine. But do NOT bring that tired "Party of Lincoln" shit. Your suggestion that the current Republican Party needs to learn from him is an admission they are not the same party...that's a good start. Now if you understand the Republicans play the part of the Confederacy in your Lincoln metaphor, your future column may actually be useful.