Conservatives Are People, Too

Today’s screaming conservatives seem to have “quite happily abandoned the pretense of playing a constructive role in the debate over the nation,” ranting instead about paranoid delusions, writes Steve Almond in the Boston Globe. But under all that rage, there must be desires that drive conservatives, and in those things, maybe interested parties from across the ideological spectrum can find common ground.

When conservatives talk about the “culture of life,” for example, shouldn’t that be embraced as an endorsement of the need for better health care? When they praise small-town America, might that not represent support for locally owned businesses? “Beyond all the hollering, conservatives seek the same fundamental blessings as moderates and liberals: a safe, secure world for their children, the freedom to pursue happiness as they see fit.”