The Death of Conservatism [Hardcover]

Sam Tanenhaus (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2009

Sam Tanenhaus’s essay “Conservatism Is Dead” prompted intense discussion and debate when it was published in The New Republic in the first days of Barack Obama’s presidency. Now Tanenhaus, a leading authority on modern politics, has expanded his argument into a sweeping history of the American conservative movement. For seventy-five years, he argues, the Right has been split between two factions: consensus-driven “realists” who believe in the virtue of government and its power to adjust to changing conditions, and movement “revanchists” who distrust government and society–and often find themselves at war with America itself.

Eventually, Tanenhaus writes, the revanchists prevailed, and the result is the decadent “movement conservatism” of today, a defunct ideology that is “profoundly and defiantly unconservative–in its arguments and ideas, its tactics and strategies, above all in its vision.”

But there is hope for conservatism. It resides in the examples of pragmatic leaders like Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan and thinkers like Whittaker Chambers and William F. Buckley, Jr. Each came to understand that the true role of conservatism is not to advance a narrow ideological agenda but to engage in a serious dialogue with liberalism and join with it in upholding “the politics of stability.”

Conservatives today need to rediscover the roots of this honorable tradition. It is their only route back to the center of American politics.
At once succinct and detailed, penetrating and nuanced, The Death of Conservatism is a must-read for Americans of any political persuasion.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The arguments are more surprising than the conclusions in this slender book that simultaneously celebrates and mourns the end of the harshly ideological strain of conservatism that reached full flower during the presidency of George W. Bush. Tracing the movement's intellectual history from Edmund Burke to Rush Limbaugh, Tanenhaus (Whitaker Chambers), editor of the New York Times Book Review, argues that the contemporary Right define[s] itself less by what it yearns to conserve than by what it longs to destroy—and that pragmatic Democrats like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have usurped the Republicans' once winning focus on social stability. Tanenhaus argues that Republicans must moderate their focus on ideological purity if they are to return from the political wilderness and offers trenchant criticism of the liberal excesses that previously led to a long Democratic exile from the White House. Tanenhaus's positions are not entirely consistent, however; he aligns Nixon with George W. Bush and his destructively revanchist course before praising Nixon's prodigious gifts and sheer intellectual ability. But the author recognizes the need for two strong parties to compete in American politics, and his impeccably well-written book insightfully summarizes the highs and lows of American conservatism over the decades. (Sept.)
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Review

“Impeccably well-written book insightfully summarizes the highs and lows of American conservatism over the decades.”—Publishers Weekly

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Random House (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400068843
• ISBN-13: 978-1400068845
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 0.7 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #502,363 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

93 of 122 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliantly articulates the core question of politics today, September 2, 2009

By 

Scott Chamberlain "Historian and archaeologist" (Minneapolis, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Death of Conservatism (Hardcover)

In reading The Death of Conservatism, I've become convinced that this slender little volume is going to have a huge impact on politics over the next few years--everyone is going to have something to say about it.

Distilled to its essence (hardly needed in that it is a very quick read), Tanenhaus' argument is that the two great pillars of American society are its political institutions and what Tanenhaus would call its patrimonial or traditional social institutions such as schools, churches, corporations, unions, etc. Although liberals and conservatives may disagree on which pillar is more important, the fact is BOTH are required for the county's stability. Tanenhaus goes on to argue that when the conservative movement was most dynamic and effective, it produced great intellectual figures such as Burke or Buckley who could articulate their positions and formulate policies that took into account both these foundational pillars, and pragmatic politicians such as Regan who could work with both their allies and enemies to put these ideas into place. He notes that that this cooperation between the "thinkers" and the "do-ers" wasn't a marriage of convenience, it was absolutely essential to moving the agenda forward...the intellectuals were keen on developing rationales that made sense to the broader public, which paved the way for the politicians to actually implement conservative policies. Tanenhaus goes on to strongly emphasize that the great conservative thinkers and politicians were above all practical, not blindly ideological--Buckley strongly denounced extremists such as the John Birch Society, and Regan made clear he was a fan of the New Deal.

Tanenhaus argues that conservatism is dying today because the right has abandoned this whole apparatus from the ground up: politicians are forced to be ideological instead of practical, they have divorced themselves from rigorous thinkers and locked themselves in a media echo chamber, and scorn the very idea of government institutions as having relevance. Collectively, this has led conservatism to be irrelevant as a political or social force--it does not offer solutions to the problems Americans face. Moreover, it doesn't have the ability to state that there ARE problems Americans face. He notes that in their desperation to hand Obama a defeat on health care reform, conservatives risk marginalizing themselves for a generation as a party of obstructionists with no agenda of their own. He warns that Americans instinctively want both political AND social institutions to thrive and clearly want a strong civil society; the party that delivers these things will be the party in power.

Tanenhaus's remedy is that conservatives need to look back on their history, and rebuild the movement from the ground up if they are to be successful again. For starters, the movement needs to develop and pay attention to a new generation of thinkers--writers outside the echo chamber who once again develop arguments that make sense to non-conservatives. Such thinkers are out there--David Frum, for example or David Brooks--but they are frequently marginalized by ideologues. He also emphasizes the need for pragmatic politicians, noting that Teddy Roosevelt and Nixon both supported health care reform, and Regan passed huge budgets both when he was president and even when he was governor of California... because that was what was required.

And this brings back the question of how folks will react to this book, which throws down the gauntlet for the "practical" Republicans to regain control of their party. Limbaugh, the Teabaggers, and Hannity will probably denounce this book as a sellout, while Joe Scarborough will probably mail copies to everyone on his Christmas card list. I think it's masterful, and brilliantly articulates the dilemma faced by the Republican party. I cannot recommend it enough for every American, on either side of the ideological divide, who has any interest in politics.

53 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tracking the American Conservative movement, September 1, 2009

By 

Richard Cumming "dick" (the heartland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Death of Conservatism (Hardcover)

This compact volume traces the current incarnation of the American movement conservatives who first began taking form during the New Deal years under FDR. These new thinkers crystallized during the 1950's under the watchful eye of William F. Buckley. 1968 marked the beginning of their ascent to power. With a brief dip in the ashes (the fall of Nixon), conservatism reached an apogee during the Reagan years. Then, according to the author, things began to fall apart.

He claims that the movement has been co-opted by "revanchist" activists who have driven away many of the true conservatives. These neo-conservatives are slashers and burners of the Rush Limbaugh ilk. They are not willing to work within the existing framework like a Barry Goldwater or a Whittaker Chambers, these revanchists are decidedly non-conservative in their attitude. For example, the spoken desire for Barack Obama's failure is a wish for this nation's failure and that is certainly an attitude that a classical conservative, a true conservative, would abhor.

Tanenhaus thinks conservatives must rebuild their strength and their focus to counterbalance the forces of resurgent liberalism. While the movement seems to be on life support as the "leaders" get more shrill and divisive while polarizing and disenfranchising the electorate, Tanenhaus sees a silver lining here; as the movement has faltered, the average American seems to be getting more conservative. Fresh vision and leadership could right the ship.

19 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Important Book, September 23, 2009

By 

chris (staten island, NY, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Death of Conservatism (Hardcover)

This was a brisk read and very enjoyable. I "read" the four hour audio book in a single session to and from my work destination. Tanenhaus, editor of the New York Times book review does a great job differentiating the "movement" conservatives from conservatives like Edmund Burke and Benjamin Disraeli. It is especially strong in its coverage of the 60's, especially William F. Buckley and interesting asides like highlights of the career of the late NY Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.

The book was too short. I felt attention should have been paid to thinkers like Leo Strauss, Alan Bloom, the think tanks like the Manhattan Institute and the transformation of New York in the Giuliani administration. Tanenhaus is correct in his assessment of the "noise makers" of today when held in contrast to those who sought to "conserve" social stability and civil society. The Tea Bagging "You lie" conservatives are the polar opposite of Edmund Burke. The Republicans and the right should retreat into the wilderness, read this book and emerge with a stronger vision that is relevant to today's politics. The left and the democrats should read this book to see the value of having a strong opposition to act as a corrective to ideological excess and a disregard of history.