In my last post, I said, “We lament the worship of character and throw away the baby in the bath. Honesty is desired, and more interesting things are placed in the place, not just the right thing.” Ta. Since then, conservative memo scholars have said almost the same thing more partisanally in the language of praise. America’s right is that even after Donald Trump leaves the scene, he continues to succeed. We must learn the secrets of his success. ”
The conservative movement relied too much on the culture’s “war of ideas” and was lost in defending their principles. Plato taught that “energies are the seat of love of anger, love, one’s love, and honor.” “Adequate attention to vitality, especially in electoral democracy, means not just a “war of ideas,” but a “war of emotions.” ”
The Liberals and conservatives were able to agree that ancient wisdom did not divide the good, truth, and beautiful. The truth is not only “good” but also desirable. Just like Ronald Reagan, Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower and Barack Obama, they’re different presidents. Some would call it conscience. Yet each found a way to resonate with Americans’ hopes and practical needs.
It’s a political view to think it’s totally driven by emotion and self-interest, but it’s too expensive to believe that good ideas and reasoned arguments are key to successful politics. All these forces are needed to come together, win public support and shape the path to the common good.
Cultural critic HL Mencken said, “No one underestimated the intelligence of the American people has ever been broken.” Today, new rights conservatives say, “To believe in democracy is to understand that each of our citizens has wisdom and a voice,” perhaps in American history Enthusiasm for electing the worst president: Harding of the Teapot Dome fame (1921-1923). Politics (He told the two women he kept secret, “I was not worthy of this office and should have been here,” in prison.)
The founders condemned a direct democracy now known as populism, and instead discussed a “republic” with laws and constitutions. As they saw it, people’s voices can lead to the tyranny of prejudice. It is now called morality, and even return to God. (God is branded by Peter Tiel and Elon Musk, who is an active supporter of planting conservative New Age churches in difficult-to-reach places. Tiel has made great academics into Silicon Valley. I changed to a pastor of the pastor. d.
Laws and the Constitution are guardrails for everyone. (rev.) John Lewis called “necessary troubles” and advocated justice without being called a non-American or a felony.
In my previous post I argued about the essential compatibility of passion with love. Similarly, history presents a powerful example of the essential compatibility between passion and democracy. Throughout history, transformative leaders combine intellectual and emotional resonance. Gandhi’s simple dress and salt march spoke more strongly to Indian dignity than any paper on colonialism. The “I Have a Dream” speech touched me more deeply than the careful writings of civil disobedience. Even in business, Steve Jobs’ Think Different campaign and product launches created an emotional connection that transcends mere technical specifications.
The most effective leaders understand that strict ideas are deeply important, but humans are driven into action through careful discussion and “energy.” They know that leadership requires being right and persuasive, both to give both your head and to your heart.
My conservative colleagues are happy to disagree with me. In his eyes, I imagine myself as another wolf in sheep’s clothes. But certainly there is a lesson here for the conservatives and liberals. It’s only a matter of time before sincerity is desired and we fail not only that we think we should be true, but we fail again.
The ancients were right: you cannot separate the true, good, and beautiful. At least not if you want to live well.
Notes and reading
“A conservative scholar who said almost the same thing” – Carson Holloway, Washington Fellow at the Claremont Institute’s Center for American Living. – American Mind (February 14, 2025).
HL Menken – Chicago Tribune, “Notes on Journalism” (September 19, 1926), Quoted Voices from the past, WB Marsh (2020).
“Conservatives of new rights” – Mercator: Compass for Common Knowledge (February 17, 2025).
Above Harding – “I have no problem with the enemy…but my friends, my terrible friends, they are the people I walk on the floor at night!” Harding has some achievements, anti-lynching They called for the law and promoted disarmament. Harding was drawn to the moral vision of the “social gospel” and regularly attended churches.
– Harding Era: Warren G. Harding and his administration Robert K. Murray (2000). “Harding was a catalytic effect and was successful when another personality could have failed.”
“Before Trump” – James D. Robenaruto, Washington Post (April 2, 2023). “One of Harding’s paramers was a woman who was tracked down as a German spy during World War I. Another, a much younger woman, was in 1919 as the US Senator in Ohio. Sometimes he gave birth to Harding’s baby.”
Founder and democracy. – The origins of the American Revolution’s ideology: 50th anniversary edition, Bernard Bailin (2017). Pulitzer Prize-winning works balance general sovereignty with constitutional constraints.
Peter Thiel, Elon Musk – Why is Christianity rising in Silicon Valley? – Emma Goldberg, New York Times Sunday Business (February 16, 2025).
Why scapegoating works for Trump – Jess Bidgood, New York Times (February 3, 2025). “Rene Girard’s theory is that scapegoating is a way of connecting people with a common enemy, thereby creating unity amongst those who are otherwise opposed. ”
Tip Off #182 – True Love
Approx. 2 + 2 = 5
Source: 2 + 2 = 5 – williamgreen.substack.com
