American Conservatism: An Encyclopedia (excludes O'Reilly, Rove, Coulter)

[LynneSin]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/21/books/21conserve.html?hp&ex=1150862400&en=794d1d80b373abc4&ei=5094&partner=homepage

An A-to-Z Book of Conservatism Now Weighs In

By JASON DePARLE
Published: June 21, 2006
WASHINGTON, June 20 — It has red states and blond pundits; home schoolers and The Human Life Review; originalists, monetarists, federalists and evangelists; and no shortage of people named Kristol.

Tim Shaffer for The New York Times
American Conservatism: An Encyclopedia is 997 pages long.


It is a big deal, in terms literal — 997 pages — and metaphorical. Few insults have stung the movement's thinkers as much as the barb from Lionel Trilling, the literary critic, who said conservatives had no ideas, "just irritable mental gestures."

A half-century later, 251 contributors have weighed in, not so irritably, with a four-pound response.

"Feel the heft of it," said Lee Edwards, a former aide to Senator Barry Goldwater, who appears in the volume with a byline and an entry. "It's more than a book. It is, if you will, an estimate — it shows the maturation of the conservative movement."

And a timely one, at that. Sixteen years in the making, American Conservatism: An Encyclopedia appears with American conservatism, the political movement, warring over its future direction.

"We've gone from history's adversary to destiny's child, but governing has brought a whole new level of challenge," said Jeffrey O. Nelson, publisher of ISI Books, the conservative press in Wilmington, Del., that produced the encyclopedia. Criticizing what he called the "big education, big spending, big war, big government" conservatism of Republican leaders, Mr. Nelson said he hoped that the book, whose list price is $35, would help the movement return to its small-government roots.

>>>>snip<<<<<<

Those people toiling in the capital trenches may not recognize the conservatism represented here. The book omits familiar names like Ann Coulter, Tom DeLay, Grover Norquist, Bill O'Reilly and Karl Rove.

[Sammy Pepys]

1. "...may not recognize the conservatism represented here."

Let's hope so.

[William Seger]

2. "may not recognize the conservatism represented here"

That would be because, since Goldwater's time, the Republican Party has actively sought to define "conservatism" as any and all forms of anti-liberalism, which covers a lot of territory. It shouldn't come as any surprise that "governing has brought a whole new level of challenge" when you try to bring together theocrats, plutocrats, corporatists and Libertarians, just to name a few. Nelson may believe that the roots of the "movement" is small government, but the size of government is a completely secondary issue. The major issue between liberalism and anti-liberalism is who controls the government and to what purpose, with liberals favoring democracy and egalitarian purpose, while conservatives favor various forms of authoritarianism supporting privileged classes.