The greatest show on Earth

“There is a remote, although gaining, possibility America’s military will intervene as a last resort to resolve the ‘Obama problem.’ Don’t dismiss it as unrealistic.”

So begins the latest chapter in American conservatism, wherein the last principles are thrown to the wind and patriotic citizens endorse treason. Actually, this is the virtual ranting of HUD and FEMA appointee cum blogger John L. Perry, but honestly, what’s the difference? American conservatism in the media has become a parody of its former self, reduced to such farces as Katie Couric asking Glenn Beck to explain what he meant by “white culture,” or radio hosts questioning the president’s citizenship. Even Christopher Buckley, son of William F. Buckley Jr., conceded the point when he endorsed Barack Obama. What could lead the progeny of America’s most lauded conservative to abandon the GOP mantle? Possibly the reality that there are no public conservative intellectuals anymore. Today’s conservative leaders would rather cash in than debate rationally. As Sarah Palin so painfully demonstrated, it literally pays more to act like Ann Coulter than to actually do anything.

And while we’re usually content to let Coulter rant in her padded cell, the increasingly manic quality of modern conservative discourse is bad for progressivism. There are certain benefits to a loyal opposition, a group that does not include Americans comparing their moderate president to Hitler. Sober conservatives force progressives in power to explain and defend their policies to the American people. Democrats should be required to reflect on their ideological commitments when it comes to, for example, health care. Is the public option really better than a co-op system with required coverage for all citizens? The only debate Sarah Palin sparked culminated in Democrats’ bemused disavowals of death panels. While we’d prefer that the entire political spectrum in this country shifted leftward, we recognize the importance of vigorous criticism. But the Right is not engaging with any real policies offered by the Left. They are flailing at a series of straw men, while Democrats sit outside the ring, peering with bewilderment at the spectacle that has transfixed the nation.

That reality is the death knell of public debate in this country. As increasingly outlandish views are promoted by mainstream media sources, it becomes difficult for rational discourse to find footing. Do we stand our ground, debate the ringleader, and risk getting pied in the face? Or do we ignore the circus entirely, and chance missing the show everyone else is watching? Depending on how progressives react, the current intellectual vacuum among conservatives can either legitimize irrationality or finally neutralize a failed set of principles. We do not expect genteel political debate, articulated in the lofty tones of Jefferson. But we do expect Americans to hold their political process in enough esteem to eject those using the sheer force of their lunacy to hijack it.

One of the arguments we’ve heard is that this lunacy is an expression of the popular will. Glenn Beck is a populist, and don’t you latte-drinking liberals say he’s not. It’s an impressive and oft-commented-on feature of current politics that the public figures most aggressively seizing the populist mantle are those who most enthusiastically support the power of corporations while opposing government intervention on working people’s behalf. Where the Populists of old demanded that the government restrain corporations’ powers, the current “populists” seek a restrained government and unfettered corporations. In conservative health care rhetoric the greatest evil became “government takeover.” So do Americans actually have so little use for the government that they would like it out of their lives? Their glowing reviews of Medicare say no, as did the widespread and furious opposition to George W. Bush’s attempted privatization of the program.

Americans are understandably nervous at a time when unemployment is high, and they suspect that Wall Street is sneaking away with their retirement portfolios. It’s understandable that the vulnerable national psyche would be temporarily attracted to intensely confident television personalities, even if the ideas they espouse border on psychotic. When you ignore facts, you have the advantage of absolute certainty.

Progressives have not proven themselves equal to the task of energizing Americans in the same way. Some Birthers will forever be unreachable for lefties, but there is no reason that they should be such a dominant media presence as to steal the direction of the debate. The temper tantrum on the right may be cathartic, but progressives can step in with real solutions. The difficult part is not finding the ideas—we have those—but passionately presenting those ideas to the American people. It requires that our wonks, eggheads, intellectuals, and Ezra Klein take the morning shows by storm instead of snarking on their blogs. It requires that President Obama pick fights aggressively and win them by being smart, not loud. Today’s progressives do not fundamentally lack smart policies, but rather the language and the attitude to tie them together and convince Americans of their value. Glenn Beck filled the vacuum of people’s anxiety with rage and vitriol. We can raise the national temperature on the right issues. There’s already a show on the stage—let’s steal the spotlight.

Sarah Leonard is a Columbia College senior majoring in history. Kate Redburn is a Columbia College senior majoring in history and African studies. Shock and Awe runs alternate Fridays. opinion@columbiaspectator.com