GOP and Man at Yale

[2dsdad]

<p>

The intellectual dexterity that once distinguished campus conservatives has given way to mindless Republican boosterism.

<a href=“http://www.amconmag.com/2006/2006_11_06/cover.html[/url]”>http://www.amconmag.com/2006/2006_11_06/cover.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>

The campus Right has almost always been more activist than intellectual, just as the wider movement has been more political than cultural. But where once students were at least familiar with the names Kirk and Weaver, or Mises and Nock, today they look to Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter for guidance. They’re little acquainted with the wisdom of the contemporary Right’s founding generation, and it shows.

</p>

<p>von Mises, Hayak and Rand I am somewhat familiar with, but I will have to brush up on Weaver, Nock and Kirk.</p>

<p>The response from liberals to the article is already predictable, but what do conservatives think?</p>

[driver]

<p>

“students are coming into the conservative movement without the intellectual grounding, with no real basis for disagreeing with popular politicians”

While this is no doubt true for students of many differing political persuasions, the article basically asks: Why can’t today’s college conservatives be more like Pat Buchanan? It’s an article that argues for paleo-conservatism as opposed to neo-conservativism, using the Iraq “intervention” as its proxy, an not really allowing for any middle ground within conservative thought–orthodoxy or the highway, so to speak.</p>

<p>I share your reading experience, 2dsdad, although I did read Albert Jay Nock’s “Our Enemy, The State” once upon a time–a much more thoughtful book than its radical-sounding title would suggest. Which leads to another question–why don’t modern comparative politics courses on college campuses delve more deeply into “the wisdom of the contemporary Right’s founding generation”? I think we know the answer. Who would teach the course? The only conservative professor named in the article is Jeffrey Hart, now emeritus at Dartmouth.</p>

[FountainSiren]

<p>

But where once students were at least familiar with the names Kirk and Weaver

I read Russell Kirk’s “The Conservative Mind” last summer. A very good book.</p>

<p>

The only conservative professor named in the article is Jeffrey Hart, now emeritus at Dartmouth

…I suppose it would be bad form to show off here.</p>