Ross Douthat is the “conservative” columnist for the New York Times. And he truly is a conservative, though he and others of his ilk have been pummeled by a Republican Party that has shown them no love. Columnists like Douthat and George Will have discovered the GOP was never really all that much about conservative ideology. So what to do?
In Will’s case, he is in serious denial. George is continuing to write intelligent, even witty, columns about this and that subject, as his party is in full mode meltdown, threatening to take what used to be the shining city on the hill and make it Newark. But Douthat has decided to go radical. Why? Because at this moment in our nation’s history he notes that there is…wage stagnation in an era of unprecedented wealth, a culture of male worklessness in which older men take disability and young men live with their parents and play video games, an epidemic of opioid abuse, a historically low birthrate, a withdrawal from marriage and civic engagement and religious practice, a decline in life expectancy and a rise in suicide.
Other than this, we’re doing great! This malaise got the bankruptcy expert elected. He spoke to that expanse of people who, rightly or wrongly, want to blame someone other than themselves for their place in the universe. But I think of the words Jesse Jackson about pouring money into programs that address the sorry state of education in many inner city neighborhoods. Jackson said until and if families get stronger the problems will not be solved. So how’s that working?
The difference with disenfranchised whites today is that many were once the “haves”, whereas blacks, in their shackles, came here, to say the least, as the “have nots”. But we’re seeing despondency and hopelessness are the same across all races. Douthat, though, must feel that this time, with this ethnic background, it’s different. He postulates that massive government spending, both for individuals and for corporate incentives and tax cuts, can work. Basically, he is throwing conservatism into the trash heap. I have my doubts. I wonder if the older guy on disability and the younger guy, quite possibly self medicating as he plays video games, are going to find the spiritual and emotional strength to change their lives. A government program can help only so much.