Until the Mount Vernon Statement is released, it is, of course, impossible to make any meaningful commentary on its content. Like the rest of the American public at large, as I write this, I have no idea what it states. We'll find out on Wednesday.
It is possible for me to comment on the difficulty of the task before them, however. In a way, I may actually be in the more enviable position in creating and promoting the Twelve Points than they are in creating and promoting the Mount Vernon Statement. As a young, lone, unknown conservative, my success (if any) in leading the conservative movement has no bearing on my reputation or career. If I do not succeed in this, I will not be defying anyone's expectations; they do not know that I exist. Additionally, I did not have to overcome misunderstandings or the obstinance of others in determining the content and wording of the Twelve Points, nor did I have to address substantive disagreement concerning the meaning of conservatism -- whatever I believed conservatives needed to know, I wrote.
Surely, this was not also true for the committee of 80 as they created the Mount Vernon Statement (whatever the process was, for writing it; I consider the fact that the document exists to be conclusive proof that the 80 of them did not draft it together). Most or all of the people constituting the committee of 80 are doubtlessly genuine in their committment to these principles and in their desire to revive the conservative movement. In attempting this, however, they do have something to lose, regardless of their motives. Their ability to influence the conservative movement for the better depends very much on their credibility and on the approval of donors, activists, and allies. Signing a document that such supporters might see as a betrayal jeopardizes that credibility and approval. Assuming that the Mount Vernon Statement will turn out to be something at least deserving of the name "conservative," as I believe it will be, the signers should be commended for their willingness to commit their names and reputations to this for the benefit of the movement.
In assuming that the statement will be "deserving," I have considered primarily the identities of these eighty ("80") conservatives (at least those whose names I know), who are known not only for their reliability as conservatives, but also for their good judgment. (I have given a little consideration to the fact that I sent copies of the Twelve Points to several conservatives out of the eighty, last year, unaware that they were working on this. I have no reason to believe that they were influenced by this, however, aside from my confidence in the accuracy, comprehensiveness, and quality of the Twelve Points.) There will be no way to know for certain until Wednesday. Though I am confident in the 80, however, I do not believe that the conditions under which they had to create the Mount Vernon Statement were likely to have been favorable. The conservative community is angry, right now, but though this carries with it the benefit that conservatives are energized and eager to take action, it carries also the disadvantage that conservatives, regardless of the type, may be less willing to accept compromise, at this point -- particularly with respect to a statement of principle. Considering the magnitude of the philosophical rifts that we have seen in the conservative movement, particularly over the past decade, it would be difficult to create a statement of principles that gives the conservative movement what it needs, right now, but that established conservative organizational leaders would also be able to sign and endorse.
The clarifying statement of principle that the conservative movement needs as of 2010 could not succeed without several key qualities. First, its content must be genuinely faithful to the conservative philosophy without bending to accommodate defective, less deserving variations on it -- something that I worry that a committee of 80 people representing different parts of the movement would be unable to create. If the 80 disagree on the meaning of conservatism, then the final product either would be seen by some as a compromise of principle or it would be a toothless "consensus" document. Second, while being faithful to the conservative philosophy, it would also need to be enterprising and visionary, in that it recognizes the confusion in today's conservative movement and addresses it, not by adopting vague assertions (with the goal of winning general approval), but rather by adopting clear and correct assertions, based on the principles of conservatism (with the goal of leading, offering direction that many of us do not yet have). Such leadership would work to build a consensus based on our common principles -- principles that one faction or another (depending on the principle) has perhaps compromised in practice, but in which we all still believe and that might yet be able to persuade the many conservative constituencies to support a common, conservative agenda. Third, would need to be possible to actually create and popularize such a statement, which would have been difficult for the committee of 80 for the reasons discussed above.
Though the committee of 80 certainly has the advantage in visibility, resources, and reputation (in that its members have reputations), I share an advantage (at which I hinted, above) with the many other conservatives who have written statements of principle over the past year or two: each of us, individually, was not bound by responsibility to anything already established within the movement. Each was able to rely on his own judgment and offer precisely what he believed to be needed. For writers (such as the committee of 80) with only a single "shot" at it and that must avoid failure, that might have been too risky, even if it were not necessary to split editorial control between representatives of different wings of the movement.
Hopefully, these disadvantages have not prevented the Mount Vernon Statement from becoming a document worthy of its creators. We will find out in three days...
...and if we do not like what we learn, the Twelve Points will be ready and waiting.
No comments:
Post a Comment