Lewis - Too dumb to fail: how the GOP betrayed the Reagan revolution to win elections (and how it can reclaim its conservative roots)

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

Proverbs 4:7

In September 2010, I took part in a conservative think tank panel discussion on the rise of a new phenomenon known as the Tea Partya loose-knit group of aspiring activists who previously were not engaged in the political process. In contrast to the other panelists, I argued that, while the entry of new activists and voters into politics was usually a welcome development, the characteristics that came to define the Tea Party posed significant challenges to the Republican Party: doubling down on anti-intellectualism, courting isolationism, and taking cues from amateurs who lacked experience and professionalism. My comments, though delivered in a tone I considered measured and thoughtful, evoked murmuring and at least a few audible gasps. The question hanging on the lips of many audience members was clear: Why wasnt a conservative writer blindly cheerleading this seminal moment in conservative movement history?

One of the forums other speakers was an avuncular and sharp conservative leader who had worked for Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, and he was now the head of an important conservative organization. At the event, he bristled at my remarks. Thats just what people said about the Christian Coalition in the 1980s, he charged, winning the crowds approval.

A few days later, while direct messaging with one of his aides on Twitter, I learned the truth. He agreed with everything you said, the aide confided. He just thought it was foolish to say so out loud.

This is the dirty little secret of the conservative movement in America today: everyone knows that it has lost its intellectual bearings. Empty-headed talking point reciters, rookie politicians whove never managed anything in their lives, media clowns such as Donald Trump, dim bulbs in tight pants or short skirts, professionally outraged shout-fest talking heads, and total political neophytes dominate conservative airwaves and the Rights political discourse.

It wasnt always like this. A half century ago, the presidential candidacy of Barry Goldwater was nearing a disastrous end. Lyndon Johnson, Goldwaters Democratic opponent in the 1964 election, had bludgeoned the Arizona senator as a conservative extremist who would recklessly start a nuclear war. Trailing in every poll with time dwindling, Goldwaters supporters (led by an auto dealer named Holmes Tuttle) decided to spend a small fortune for thirty minutes of TV airtime. To make the case for Goldwater, they chose a former actor and Screen Actors Guild president named Ronald Reagan. Officially titled A Time for Choosing, the spot became known simply as The Speech. The story of how it came to be is interesting. Reagan (who was then serving as cochairman of Californians for Goldwater) traveled the state, stumping for his candidate. After addressing a fund-raiser in Los Angeles, Reagan recalled that he was approached by a delegation of high-powered Republicans who asked if he would deliver the speech on TV if they funded it. I said yes and suggested that, instead of just having me in a studio alone, they bring in an audience to get a little better feel, he recalled.

Reagan began his address by remarking that he had chosen his own words and would be discussing his own ideas. Back in 1964, neither of those facts was especially startling. Political speakers frequently wrote Of course, he did. But The Speech also helped raise millions of dollars for Goldwaters campaign. And, of course, it ultimately served as the catalyst that would make Ronald Reagan the president sixteen years later.