The case for conservative voices

by | Mar 12, 2021 | Editor's Blog | 9 comments

Not too long after I first started PoliticsNC (eight years ago this month), I brought on a young writer named John Wynne . John provided a thoughtful conservative perspective because I wanted this blog to be a place of respectful debate in an increasingly disrespectful political arena. During that time, I had a lot of conservatives who reached out to me to say that they don’t really agree with me, but appreciate what I write. More than a few sent financial contributions. 

Since John left (Thanks for your time with PoliticsNC, John), the number of responses I get from conservatives has dwindled. Maybe it’s the nature of a blog running its course. Maybe it’s the increasingly polarized political environment. But I believe not having a conservative voice to counter my progressive one made PoliticsNC less appealing to them. I miss the feedback from conservatives. 

My core readership has always been people who largely agree with me. I am honored that my readers include some of the people I consider North Carolina’s most prominent public officials and leaders from both the past and present. I suspect I mostly validate their views or offer new arguments to shore them up. While I hope they continue to read and continue to give the feedback that keeps me writing even when I feel ready to hang it up, I also want to change minds.  

In that spirit, I’ve brought on Rick Henderson whose libertarian, center-right perspective differs from mine. After I introduced Rick, several people pointed out that conservatives have plenty of platforms and that twitter makes them accessible to everybody. True, but it’s not my platform and not enough conservatives are reading what I’ve got to say. Call it ego, but I believe I can offer arguments that will make my conservative counterparts reconsider, or at least question, their positions. 

I’ll also be publishing other conservatives who send me thoughtful responses. I hope their work will bring me more conservative readers because that’s who I really want to influence and debate. For me, winning the public argument, or at least fighting to a draw, is the point of politics. 

I also want to elevate conservative voices who can counter the populist ones that have taken over the Republican Party. It’s easy for progressives to lump all Republicans together, but it’s also intellectually lazy, if not dishonest. The Trumpists running the Republican Party and the conservative movement are in the midst of a very public divorce. I want the movement folks to again become dominant, not because I agree with them, but because the Trumpists are part of the illiberal white nationalism that has historically divided this country with very ugly and deadly consequences. The traditional conservatives believe in democracy and freedom and the institutions that protect them. 

I believe we are undergoing a political re-alignment that will likely benefit progressives for the next few years and, possibly, decades. That said, we need a responsible opposition party that believes in the rules of engagement, not the undermining of the democratic process. People who disagree with the more activist government that I support need a place to go that does not advocate violence as a political tool or condone lying as political rhetoric. I will promote some of those voices I believe are reasonable and responsible. I also hope their readership will read me. 

9 Comments

  1. Bruce Sharer

    What you are doing by bringing on Rick Henderson is what is missing, and has been missing from the national discussion for more than a decade. The key word is discussion which is counter to the yelling coming mostly from the right. Remember Fox’s phony claim of fair and balanced. That is what we must have, both sides calmly stating their case and engaging in discussion. Thank you

  2. Charles Davis

    Thomas,
    Thanks for your brave efforts to keep a more open and thoughtful dialogue. Dogmatic, arrogant, disrespectful caricatures of foes are entertaining for all, but are and always have been the work of the devil. Lets hope for more respect in the important business of politics.
    Thanks, neighbor
    Charles Davis

  3. radontesting

    I’m curious if you would also consider adding a perspective to the left of what’s currently presented here. I believe Mr. Mills makes a good case for the centrist to slightly left-of-center viewpoint. However, there is a growing movement of people who aren’t afraid of self-identifying as “the S word” who could be represented here. DSA is now over 85k members, the “squad” is growing, and we’ve now see some of the most unapologetic left politicians rise to power.

  4. Norma Munn

    I welcome thoughtful analysis from rational conservatives. Unfortunately “rational” is too often absent from much of what passes for conservative thinking over the past decade. Facts matter; not just opinion. I will read Mr. Henderson. So far I am underwhelmed.

  5. Deedra Durocher

    Thank you, Tom. I agree that we need to have civil and rational conversations with those who have a different point of view, because hopefully, we will both learn something. While I have lots of issues with the current polarization and generalization of Conservatives and Liberals, I truly believe more listening, more talking and less close-minded shouting at each other is healthy and necessary. I don’t want to be in an environment where everyone thinks, acts, or looks like me – that’s not what embracing diversity is about.

  6. George Entenman

    More power to you, Tom. It has been fun reading Mr Henderson and trying to understand what the heck he is advocating. It’s also a lot of fun getting slightly outraged (I’m a liberal after all) and writing comments. It’s especially gratifying to read other people comments, which so effectively counter his libertarian blather.

    When BJ Lawson, a Libertarian, ran against David Price a few years ago, I was attracted to him because he listened and made a lot of sense. As a life-long member of the ACLU, I liked the actual parts of his philosophy that believed in freedom. We had breakfast together a couple of times and I found out about his economic ideas – gold, of course – and his anti-abortion (i.e., big government) views. I think that ACLUers are this country’s true conservatives in the sense of wanting to limit gov’t powers. I also want to limit the powers of our new governments: corporations.

  7. Larry Mason

    Please ask Mr. Henderson just what it is that he is trying to conserve. The “conservatives” I am used to reading seem to have no idea what they support.

  8. cocodog

    Republicans have embraced what used to be called the no nothing philosophy. They refuse to call what happened on Jan 6 insurrection. They seemed to believe it was carried out by a bunch of good old boys(and girls) just expressing their frustration over what their supreme leader called election fraud. How can anybody have a reasonable discussion with these folks ? This current situation may not have been originated by the Donald,(very few things are) but he seems to know how to harness it and use it to his financial and political advantage.

  9. Steve Harrison

    You make some good points, and I will grudgingly admit that Rick has (so far) presented some relatively balanced information here.

    That said, I am still concerned about the expansion (additional exposure) of Conservative and Libertarian dogma, especially that which spawned from Art Pope’s network. Fighting that misinformation has been an arduous task, to say the least, and much of the damage wreaked by the GOP-controlled Legislature can be tracked right back to that network. And Donald Trump had nothing to do with that mess.

    But at the end of the day, this is your platform. And it appears you are already drawing more traffic. 🙂

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