November 2012 – Dueling|Interests

Essays

When Keepin’ it Real Goes Wrong – Authenticity and the GOP

By Shawn Hamilton November 24, 2012

In the weeks and months following President Obama’s reelection, Republicans will struggle to rebrand and redefine themselves for the electorate. A few have already come forward with prescriptions for the future. Bobby Jindal, Governor of Louisiana argues that the GOP must stop being the ‘stupid party’ and craft a message for all Americans. John Boehner expressed a willingness to consider revenue increases, though not yet tax increases, and spoke of Obamacare as the ‘law of the land’. Sean Hannity made a passionate plea on behalf of illegal immigrants the day after the election, suggesting that those who have been here for years and broken no laws – aside from being here illegally – should be put on the path to citizenship. As much as these efforts to moderate or modernize the GOP make sense, they will be unsuccessful because they risk revealing the big lie that keeps many poor, working…

Essays

The Wilderness – President Obama and the Conservative Movement

By Shawn Hamilton November 12, 2012

As the post-election euphoria wears off, many of President Obama’s supporters – myself among them – ponder his future and that of the conservative movement. Conservatives seem to be moving through the various stages of grief – denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance – though not necessarily in that order, leading many of my more optimistic and level-headed friends to suggest that it is now time for President Obama to work with moderate conservatives to get things done. This point of view reminds me of the story of St. James Davis and his pet chimp Moe. St. James and his wife LaDonna raised their chimpanzee Moe from a baby like a son. He learned to eat with a fork. Speak some sign language. Make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. He could nod ‘yes’ or shake his head ‘no’. He played with toys and occasionally wore a dinner jacket and trousers…

Essays

Blacks and Conservatives – Intro

By Shawn Hamilton November 11, 2012

Several months back a statistic emerged that was revealing yet misunderstood. Presidential candidate Mitt Romney would receive 0% of the black vote in spite of the fact that many blacks agree with conservatives on some social issues. The point of this series is to examine the roots of this supposed contradiction and shed some light on the relationship between people and policies. I do not believe that the facts above are contradictions at all. One’s personal views, no matter how ‘conservative’, do not neatly align with conservative philosophy or policies until a bridge is built between the personal and the political. The planks in this metaphorical bridge are things like identity, mytho-history, information, experience, enemies and scapegoats. We can imagine others of course, but the point of these planks is to create a complete construct leading the individual from his or her ideas to a philosophy and set of policies.…