Columnist Jack Davies explains why right-wing voters should endorse the democratic socialist.
There is ’70s nostalgia in the air. True, we haven’t seen the return of big hair and the ring of disco in the bars has been notably absent. As much as I’d prefer to be the harbinger of the news of a return to the great age of platform shoes and white wine spritzers, this is not the nostalgia I am referring to.
It is said that history repeats itself, and the Bible indeed says that ‘there is nothing new under the sun.’ The ’70s nostalgia I’m thinking is a litany of environmental damage, mass activism and the return of identity politics, shady political dealings — Nixon didn’t have the luxurious option to delete the tapes, a la Clinton, and a widening of the rich-poor divide. In addition to this, we are doing a wonderful job of reminding ourselves of the wisdom of Frank Herbert in his Dune novels, ‘that there is no escape- we pay for violence of our ancestors,’ as American cities once again burn in a catharsis of unresolved and forgotten issues.
We have returned from our coffee break and have promptly resumed our bizarrely cordial game of nuclear chess with Russia. In the midst of this confusing, troubling malaise, we have a presidential election, and a confused one at that. On the right, we have entered a state of amnesia on what the principles of conservatism demand. We have educated statesmen sabotaging any possibility for measured change in order to appease the reactionary fantasy of a vanishing audience of Southerners and evangelical Christians. The mighty legions of the moral majority are an aging cohort, and it is obvious that the GOP is strangling itself on visions of an idealized past. If it does not change its ways, the party is as dead as the English Whigs after 1815.
The democratic situation is currently a battle of wits between our illustrious former first lady and Bernie Sanders. Unfortunately in the interests of space I cannot address this race fully here.
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So what do I make of Bernie? In times such as these, it is natural for people to want to be saved, and Bernie plays a wonderful messianic archetype. This would normally be a cause for suspicion; anyone claiming to save the world or the country is usually more trouble than they’re worth. However, there is something about this man that makes me trust him. The press has called him a dreamer — the least accurate description possible. If anything, he is more cynical than most would like.
He openly says he cannot fulfill all of his campaign promises and most of the things he proposes are well-researched practical plans that people can analyze rather than the vague promises of Hillary Clinton, the insults of Donald Trump and the hostility and vapidity of anyone who would seriously ask you to check your privilege.
Here, I will make a radical point: it’s not new, and the basis of what’s going to spew forth from my mouth has basis in the post French-Revolutionary philosophy that spawned modern conservatism.
Conservatives should vote for Bernie Sanders. Conservatism, in short, values peace as its end goal, change is carefully considered in order to maximize peace but it is not impossible nor necessarily to be resisted. The current order is broken, we see signs of instability every day and something needs to change. The Conservative has a role to play in this transformation. They need to take responsibility for legislation, they need to stop obstructing, they need to jettison the policies designed to lock us into this current violent and unstable paradigm.
Instead, we should embrace a candidate with sensible, non-identity based solutions and then make sure that the chosen candidate is supported in their attempts and restrained when they go too far and begin to destabilize the country. Bernie’s demands have been with us for decades, there is nothing radical about his plan. If you stand with Edmund Burke, walk with me on Bernie’s campaign let’s stroll out of the ’70s. The protests, violence and disco are getting irritating. Hold on one second, I’ll take a white wine spritzer with me.
Jack Davies is a sophomore studying philosophy. Do you think conservatives should endorse Bernie Sanders? Email him at jdavies96@googlemail.com.
