To paraphrase Pogo (and yes, I realize I am dating myself): Conservatives have met the enemy, and it is them.
OK, I know I shouldn’t watch "Morning Joe." But listening to the opening moments this morning – as I dressed quickly to get to the train station for my Get Out The Vote assignment – I was struck once again by the cluelessness of the conservative movement. Joe Scarborough and Mike Barnicle and (shudder) Pat Buchanan nattered on about how immigrants and young people just don’t understand the fabulousness of conservatism, and how, sadly, it will take years before the immigrants become assimilated and the youngsters grow up and realize the errors of their ways, and come to embrace the values Joe and Mike and Pat hold dear.
It was surreal the way the failure of conservatism was being placed on everybody but the people who deserve the blame, conservatives.
It never occurred to Joe and Mike and Pat, not for a second, that maybe – just maybe – the problem was them. Well, here’s a scoop for you, gentlemen: It’s not the "immigrants" or the "younger generation" who need educating, it’s you. The "people" have not abandoned the Republican party, the party has adandoned the very principles – smaller government, for example – it claims to represent.
And those bedrock values that conservatives think they own, like patriotism and family and valuing hard work and religious faith, are values shared by people across the political spectrum. (Indeed, as a practicing Catholic I feel it is imperative to support the party that is opposed to the senseless war in Iraq and committed to social justice for all.)
More to the point, the old labels – "conservative" and "liberal" – just don’t apply in today’s world. The issues are too large and complex. Barack Obama knows that, and he has built his campaign around it, and to their credit the American people have understood that he is correct: That we must abandon old labels and stereotypes and find ways to work together to solve the problems our country is facing.
At the train station, where I greeted people and reminded them to vote, there was a celebratory mood in the air. Despite the early hour (6:30 am) many had already voted, and they stopped to tell me about their experiences with grins on their faces. Change is coming, America, and not a moment too soon. Maybe the guys on "Morning Joe" will finally wake up and smell the coffee.