QUICK ASSESSMENT: As I was saying yesterday, the American people do indeed want a more socialistic economic system. On that sort of thing, I agree with the article and believe that the GOP as it's been known for decades is declining. He goes a little far on the social side, which is where I believe the conservative/Right needs to focus (as I said). In Europe, conservative/Rightwing parties did well a few years ago in part by arguing for fiscal conservatism, but there are two caveats to that:
1. Europe is far more Leftist-Socialist in economic terms than the U.S., and even with recent shifts to the Right remains so.
2. (And this is the big point) They were successful by actually usurping some Leftist issues (like healthcare and the environment).
Putting this together in an American context, the conservative/Right needs to reorient and reorganize itself on non-economic issues. The writer writes off national security concerns, but this is simply pessimism. National security, national pride, heritage issues (though less racial than maybe some on the Right would prefer), and--in part because of pragmatism and in part because there is a definite shift to the RIGHT on this--the right to arms (Second Amendment) should be the basis for conservative/Right resurgence.
Now, many conservatives will be perplexed by this. It is because they are ONLY about fiscal issues. They honestly can't conceive of conservatism without a basis in fiscal conservatism. And as a result, they will drive this country down. They must learn to think of higher values than mere money. It won't be easy.
That is my quick assessment.
