Steve Benen had an interesting article today about a conservative critique of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The author of the National Review article, Mike Potemra, gives us a soberly clear look at the way Conservatives see the world.
Its messages are unabashedly liberal ones of the early post-Cold War era – peace, tolerance, due process, progress.
He decides through conversation with an NR colleague that the draw for the show stems from the moral authority of Captain Picard:
The show’s appeal for conservatives [lies] largely in the toughness of the main character: Jean-Luc Picard was a moral hardass where the Captain Kirk of the earlier show was more of an easygoing, cheerful swashbuckler. I think there’s something to that: Patrick Stewart did indeed create, in that character, a believable and compelling portrait of ethical uprightness.
This viewpoint leads me to my main point of this diary. I think one of the main problems conservatives and independents have with the Democrats is our lack of "fundamental" values. If someone convinces us, using facts or logic, to rethink our positions on issues, this is considered moral weakness. This leads to charges of, "What are they going to legalize next...", "If they grant amnesty, who knows what other benefits they'll give to those illegals..." & "slippery slope".
Conservatives/Republicans seem unable to deal in moral gray area and view those who try to split issues down the middle as unprincipled. I know that in my experience arguing with conservative classmates and family members that any liberal ideas in Congress are considered "incorrect" (See Single-Payer, Keynesian Economics, Legislation to combat climate change) and any ideas to find common ground on divisive issues are seen as "unprincipled" or "cowardly" (See Dems playing ball w/ insurance companies, Dem abortion amendments, using Repub ideas on anti-immigrant language).
This has created a segment of the population were liberals and Democrats can never be right. Even if our ideas work, they will be deemed as non-liberal/non-Democrat initiatives because they are usually so moderate in comparison to what the Netroots/Real Progressives want. And if people who truly have liberal intentions ever got legislation they wanted, it is sure to be demonized as a Socialist, Anti-American, Corporate/Government takeover.
How can we get beyond this gridlock? Even when Conservative ideals failed the Republican party in the mid 00's, they blamed the messenger, and never the message. How can a movement that truly believes any words uttered against it are spiteful lies be defeated? What will it take for Conservatism to fail, and not just it's adherents?