Wick Allison endorsement

The Nightly Build...

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A Conservative for Obama

This ground-breaking election continues to surprise. Wick Allison, former publish of William F. Buckley's deeply conservative National Review and current editor-in-chief of D Magazine, just published an opinion piece titled "A Conservative for Obama." In it, he first repeats the familiar criticisms of George W. Bush's tenure as President: the deficit spending, the support for tax cuts even after the outbreak of war, the growth of government, the bellicosity abroad, the messianic mission of spreading democracy.

"This kind of conservatism, which is not conservative at all, has produced financial mismanagement, the waste of human lives, the loss of moral authority, and the wreckage of our economy that McCain now threatens to make worse."

So far, so familiar. Many conservatives have made the argument that George W Bush's failures are not failures of conservatism, but failures of a man, a man who failed to live up to conservative ideals.

Here's where Allison's argument gets interesting. He doesn't say that what's needed is a leader who will somehow just execute the same old conservative game plan better so things magically turn out different next time. No, he argues that what's needed is someone who is "skeptical of abstract theories" including, presumably, the traditional conservative game plan itself. He argues that's what needed is "a thoughtful, pragmatic, and prudent man," a "realist," someone who is "ready to test any political program against actual results." For Allison, these are the traits of a conservative. And who does Wick Allison see filling that role? None other than Barack Obama.

"Obama is almost the ideal candidate for this moment in American history. I disagree with him on many issues. But those don’t matter as much as what Obama offers, which is a deeply conservative view of the world. [...] As a cause, conservatism may be dead. But as a stance, as a way of making judgments in a complex and difficult world, I believe it is very much alive in the instincts and predispositions of a liberal named Barack Obama."

Of all the millions of words written during this Presidential campaign, Wick Allison's analysis is the single most surprising essay I've read. It rings of honesty. It recognizes the need for real change. From a conservative. Simply amazing.