I still feel like Russel Kirk's "The Conservative Mind" is one of the most honest accountings of the history of conservative thought in the US and Britain. Because Kirk himself was (I believe) a misanthrope and elitist, comfortable with racism and highly suspicious of democracy, he made no effort to sand off the misanthropic, elitist, racist, or anti-democratic features of conservative thought.
I had never heard of Kendall before, but I'll have to read him. He's basically giving the same interpretation of American history I've come to, but from the other side. Historians of the American Civil War like Foner, Oakes, and McPhereson all argue in their own ways that the Civil War constitutes a 2nd American Revolution, where the modern vision of America as a pluralist democracy finally comes into being. Its probably better to think of America as a white settler society until at least then, and I think that self-understanding of America being a pluralistic democracy only really became hegemonic post WWII, and it seems to be really breaking down now. For that reason, I respect Kendalls honesty in being a conservative who espouses the view that Lincoln was a disaster.
Incidentally, the right wingers I know and talk to here are all obsessed with voter fraud and the "quality of votes". I live in Iowa, and having a conversation about democracy with an acquaintance recently he started babbling about relative differences in birth rates between rural areas and cities being the pretext for why we need to keep the electoral college. It's that grim.
One difference between 1950s "conservatism" and fascism seems to be that conservatives were honest about being against majority rule whereas fascists always claimed that, despite appearances, fascism was what the majority truly wanted.
I agree that the modern GOP is minoritarian in its instincts, but I also believe we can vastly overstate the case. It is true that the GOP has lost every presidential election in my lifetime (by popular vote) except 2004, but it's also true that the GOP has been far more competitive in the House of Representatives both in terms of winning seats, and winning the popular vote. Here's the timeline in reverse order:
2020: Democrats win popular vote
2018: Democrats win popular vote
2016: Republicans win popular vote
2014: Republicans win popular vote
2012: Democrats win popular vote
2010: Republicans win popular vote
2008: Democrats win popular vote
2006: Democrats win popular vote
2004: Republicans win popular vote
2002: Republicans win popular vote
2000: Republicans win popular vote (basically a draw)
1998: Republicans win popular vote
1996: Democrats win popular vote (again, a draw)
1994: Republicans win popular vote
1992: Democrats win popular vote
The Republicans won the popular vote 8 times out of 16 elections, which is basically a draw.
The point being: we are not living in a country where a tiny minority is massively imposing its will over a huge majority. We're a country split 52-48 (or, more accurately, 48-46 with the remaining 6% undecided).
I still feel like Russel Kirk's "The Conservative Mind" is one of the most honest accountings of the history of conservative thought in the US and Britain. Because Kirk himself was (I believe) a misanthrope and elitist, comfortable with racism and highly suspicious of democracy, he made no effort to sand off the misanthropic, elitist, racist, or anti-democratic features of conservative thought.
I had never heard of Kendall before, but I'll have to read him. He's basically giving the same interpretation of American history I've come to, but from the other side. Historians of the American Civil War like Foner, Oakes, and McPhereson all argue in their own ways that the Civil War constitutes a 2nd American Revolution, where the modern vision of America as a pluralist democracy finally comes into being. Its probably better to think of America as a white settler society until at least then, and I think that self-understanding of America being a pluralistic democracy only really became hegemonic post WWII, and it seems to be really breaking down now. For that reason, I respect Kendalls honesty in being a conservative who espouses the view that Lincoln was a disaster.
Incidentally, the right wingers I know and talk to here are all obsessed with voter fraud and the "quality of votes". I live in Iowa, and having a conversation about democracy with an acquaintance recently he started babbling about relative differences in birth rates between rural areas and cities being the pretext for why we need to keep the electoral college. It's that grim.
I, too, can be a sinner: the degree of support for Trump, avalanchine in some states, erodes _my_ faith in democracy.
'Anton’s practical solution to the problem of the bad electorate: basically dissolve it and elect another.'
A good reference to a poem I can't get out of my head these days:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_L%C3%B6sung
One difference between 1950s "conservatism" and fascism seems to be that conservatives were honest about being against majority rule whereas fascists always claimed that, despite appearances, fascism was what the majority truly wanted.
I agree that the modern GOP is minoritarian in its instincts, but I also believe we can vastly overstate the case. It is true that the GOP has lost every presidential election in my lifetime (by popular vote) except 2004, but it's also true that the GOP has been far more competitive in the House of Representatives both in terms of winning seats, and winning the popular vote. Here's the timeline in reverse order:
2020: Democrats win popular vote
2018: Democrats win popular vote
2016: Republicans win popular vote
2014: Republicans win popular vote
2012: Democrats win popular vote
2010: Republicans win popular vote
2008: Democrats win popular vote
2006: Democrats win popular vote
2004: Republicans win popular vote
2002: Republicans win popular vote
2000: Republicans win popular vote (basically a draw)
1998: Republicans win popular vote
1996: Democrats win popular vote (again, a draw)
1994: Republicans win popular vote
1992: Democrats win popular vote
The Republicans won the popular vote 8 times out of 16 elections, which is basically a draw.
The point being: we are not living in a country where a tiny minority is massively imposing its will over a huge majority. We're a country split 52-48 (or, more accurately, 48-46 with the remaining 6% undecided).