One of the most consequential turns in modern politics was the post-Reagan Left bullying Republicans, and many conservative pundits, away from discussing morality or using moral arguments to drive their agenda. It was an incredible coup. We're really just starting to push back.
Maybe the Left was able to pull it off because Bush I and Quayle were so awkward about discussing moral issues, even when they had the better arguments, as demonstrated by those "Dan Quayle Was Right" op-eds many years later. They *sounded* wrong even when they were right.
We ended up with the libertarian-sounding formulation of "fiscally conservative, but socially liberal" and the retreat bugle toot of "you can't legislate morality!" Meanwhile, the Left plunged full speed ahead as fiscal and social liberals who gleefully imposed their morality.
As we learned over the ensuing decades "fiscally conservative but socially liberal" actually means "I give the Left everything it wants, but I grumble about the price tag." Once you surrender the moral high ground, you can't win. All that remains is negotiating your surrender.
The Left does nothing BUT legislate its morality. It doesn't hesitate to use the full power of our titanic government to impose its beliefs. Lefties think their political imperatives override the laws of physics, economics, and biology. Of COURSE they want to override dissent.
The Right was persuaded that moral arguments could scare off gettable independent voters, but the truth is that people who aren't invested in politics are more likely to be bullied and intimidated by lefty moral crusaders, or respond to the conviction they demonstrate.
This contrast peaked with the Obama-Romney contest, where Romney spent the entire campaign on defense, unable to articulate a moral argument for freedom and capitalism. He was flattened by a hyper-moralistic campaign that had no qualms about hitting below the belt.
Once you concede the moral argument in politics, everything else is just squabbling over details. Those who claim the mantle of absolute righteousness will dismiss all concerns about law, liberty, and fiscal responsibility as nitpicking. WE HAVE TO GET THIS DONE.
The GOP base learned this over many painful years, so now they like combative candidates, and have lost interest in bloodless punditry or establishment functionaries. They don't want any more GOP candidates who will pre-emptively concede moral imperatives to the Left.
That's one reason the Left was so effective at taking over corporate boardrooms to launch the New Fascism: after the Right unilaterally disarmed on moral and social issues, company men were easily intimidated by lefty crusades, because there was no effective opposition.
Not only does the Left use government power to impose its morality, but now they use corporate muscle too - and they've been able to dragoon corporations into their crusades with a handful of tweets and a swarm of bots. Conquest is easy when there is no organized resistance.
It's not easy returning to the moral and social battlefield after a generation or two of leaders who were taught never to fight there - but it's the only battleground that really matters in the end. You can't stop crusades by quibbling about the cost - or the Constitution. /end
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