What to Do Now?

May not get to the post-election discussion post, we'll see. Mark T. Michell has a new book out - here's an excerpt: The Politics of Gratitude: Scale, Place and Community in a Global Age. He offers his perspective on a plan of action: Opportunity in the Ruins. His program, unsurprisingly, is a localist one. I have been preparing something on the limits of collaborating with those who disagree on traditional mores - such an effort can be effective with respect to less controversial issues (regaining economic freedom, opposing corporations, pursuing agrarianism, environmental safety and health care issues, and so on), but how much can such mutual tolerance last? And can such a "peace" last long if we do not have natural ties to those who are opposed to tradition? This may be the best option for many, but we do not live together only for mutual advantage, but to enjoy friendship (based on virtue) with one another, but how can such friendship with those who seek to do away with tradition be possible?

And here is Bruce Frohnen: Should there be a Traditional Conservative Program of Action?

So long as people think of the state as the guarantor of our well-being, with the right and duty to protect us from life’s ills, the families, churches, neighbors, and social organizations in which decent lives are lived and tragedy mitigated in a humane manner, will continue to atrophy unto death.

Even here the political program is clear: government and the federal government in particular, must cede power, must decentralize and give up its commanding role at the same time it frees more local associations to form and carry out the tasks that naturally belong to them. Features of our tax code, corporate law, public policy, and misinterpreted constitutional law all actively prevent the flourishing of families, churches, and local associations. But so long as people think of the state as our guardian, they will not enact policies that empower the associations in which we can lead decent lives.

This should tell us that the real work ahead of us is cultural in nature. Such a statement should come as no surprise to traditional conservatives, but it bears repeating when one is considering the question, “what now?” A program for traditional conservatives is needed, but must be aimed at cultural and spiritual rejuvenation, which may, in time, bring about a return to political sanity. The good thing about a situation such as ours, in which we have been routed for decades in every sphere, is that there is no end of choices of where to begin working for improvement. I hope in future posts to address some major areas of concern in at least some detail. For now I would merely point out that a program for traditional conservatives will, if it is to be useful, focus on what we can do in the places where we live, work, and worship, to create an atmosphere for cultural renewal.