The intellectually dead American right, which refuses to reply intellectually to intellectual criticism

Kidist Paulos Asrat writes:

Regarding your exchanges with Paul Gottfried and David Frum, you are asking very big questions in a very succinct manner to these important members of the various conservative associations. I will admit that I laughed when I read your exchange with Frum, but why couldn’t he have found some inner conviction to answer your question? [LA notes: David Frum did reply the day after this was posted; see continuation of discussion.] Or to realize its magnitude—we are talking about Good and Evil, in capitals here?

Is it that so-called conservatives—as Mr. Gottfried has shown us—are incapable of thinking of these big, profound, questions, which have the capacity to put things on the brink of, dare I say, civilizational disaster?

One other thing I’m thinking of is how a whole gang of conservative women just COULDN’T SEE the magnitude of the problem caused by Bristol Palin’s illegitimate child, both within that small poor family of adolescents, and also in the much bigger picture of example to a country.

The other one is Takuan Seiyo’s reaction to your singling out his strange name, the pseudonym of a half Jewish, half Polish white man.

It is well and good to be hurt and offended, but Frum even admitted that he wasn’t. So what was stopping him from answering you, other than that he had no answer? I’m afraid this is the recurring problem.

LA replies:

Neocons will not respond to intelligent criticism from their right. Paleocons, if they respond to criticism, generally do so by personalizing the issue. And even the Palin-cons got nasty and personal, saying to Palin critics, “How DARE you, how DARE you question whether a woman with an infant child and an illegitimately pregnant 17 year old daughter ought to be the vice presidential nominee of America’s conservative party?

LA continues:

And then, beyond the intellectually dead American right, there’s the rathole of the American right, anti-Semitism.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at January 06, 2009 12:17 AM | Send