One Percent America Kennedy’s Wars St. Benedict Option Taki: The Movie ANDREW BACEVICH JUSTIN RAIMONDO ROD DREHER TAKI NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 IDEAS OVER IDEOLOGY • PRINCIPLES OVER PARTY WHY THE TEA PARTY CAN’T GOVERN by DANIEL MCCARTHY $9.99 US/Canada theamericanconservative.com “One of the best liberal arts colleges in America.” - George Weigel DISCOVER THE DIFFERENCE Catholic Liberal Arts at Its Best! Enter Our Full-Tuition SCHOLARSHIP Competition! Rigorous Liberal Arts Curriculum Integrated Core Emphasizing Research, Written & Oral Communication Scholarships and Robust Financial Aid Program Integrated Career Development Program Leadership and Internship Opportunities Semester in Rome and Summer Ireland Programs Intercollegiate Athletic Program Drama, Music, and Performance Opportunities Mission Trips and Outreach Programs Authentic Catholic Culture and Liturgical Celebrations Front Royal, Virginia 800.877.5456 Tomorrow’s Leaders. Here Today. christendom.edu Vol. 12, No. 6, November/December 2013 2224 3228 40 COVER STORY FRONT LINES ARTS & LETTERS 12 Why the Tea Party Can’t Govern 6 Mike Lee, rugged 40 Goliath: Life and Loathing Its conservatism is a product of communitarian in Greater Israel by Max the disco era. JONATHAN COPPAGE Blumenthal DANIEL MCCARTHY 7 The magazine for crunchy cons SCOTT MCCONNELL GRACY OLMSTEAD artIcles 44 Rebound: Getting America Back 9 Britain’s Tories need a woman. to Great by Kim R. Holmes 16 Benedict Option EMMA ELLIOTT FREIRE JUSTIN LOGAN The promise of Christian 46 Conservative Internationalism: intentional communities COMMentary ROD DREHER Armed Diplomacy Under Jefferson, Polk, Truman, and 5 Turning right since 2012 20 One Percent Republic Reagan by Henry Nau Inequality applies to military 11 Has the NSA gone too far? MICHAEL C. DESCH service as well as wealth. PATRICK J. BUCHANAN ANDREW BACEVICH 48 Collision 2012: Obama vs. 31 Quitting over Syria Romney and the Future of 24 JFK, Warmonger PHILIP GIRALDI Elections in America by Dan The idol of Camelot was a Balz foreign-policy disaster. 38 Rural America revolts LLOYD GREEN JUSTIN RAIMONDO BILL KAUFFMAN 50 The Man From Mars: Ray 28 Gettysburg Gospel 58 Taki makes a movie Palmer’s Amazing Pulp Journey Lincoln’s address was about civil TAKI by Fred Nadis religion, not the Civil War. JESSE WALKER RICHARD GAMBLE 52 Adam Smith’s Pluralism: 32 Seven Conservative Minds Rationality, Education, and Why Russell Kirk revised his the Moral Sentiments by Jack most famous work Russell Weinstein BRADLEY BIRZER DAVID J. DAVIS 55 Metamorphoses of the City: On the Western Dynamic by Pierre Manent DANIEL J. MAHONEY Cover illustration: Michael Hogue NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 THE AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE 3 Reactions The American Conservative Editor Daniel McCarthy Senior Editors Rod Dreher Daniel Larison TAXING CARBON ISN’T CONSERVATIVE progressive establishment that is pro- Editorial Director, Digital Andrew Moylan’s “conservative carbon tax and anti-energy. For conservatives Maisie Allison tax” (“How to Tax Carbon,” Sept.-Oct.) to follow Moylan’s advice would be to Associate Editor is political fantasy. If conservative lead- squander their energy advantage. Jonathan Coppage ers advocate a carbon tax, they will di- Gracy Howard vide the movement, demoralize their MARLO LEWIS National Correspondent Michael Brendan Dougherty base, and promote the left’s war on en- Senior fellow, CEI Contributing Editors ergy. via email W. James Antle III, Andrew J. Bacevich, Moylan faults conservatives for not Doug Bandow, Jeremy Beer, James Bovard, having a plan to cut income taxes and Andrew Moylan replies: My friend Marlo Patrick Deneen, Michael Desch, Richard Gamble, Philip Giraldi, David Gordon, Paul Gottfried, repeal EPA’s greenhouse gas regula- Lewis dismisses my case for a conserva- Freddy Gray, Leon Hadar, Peter Hitchens, tions. They do have a plan. It’s to win tive plan to tax carbon while eliminating Philip Jenkins, Christopher Layne, Chase Madar, Eric Margolis, James Pinkerton, big in 2014 and 2016. taxes on entrepreneurship as “political Justin Raimondo, Fred Reed, Stuart Reid, Washington’s big spenders have no fantasy.” Though well-meaning, Lewis Sheldon Richman, Steve Sailer, John Schwenkler, Jordan Michael Smith, interest in “tax reform” that does not is mistaken. He contends that revenue- R.J. Stove, Kelley Vlahos, Thomas E. Woods Jr. also “enhance revenues,” and the envi- neutrality is impossible and that liber- Publisher ronmental establishment has no inten- als will never relinquish their grip on Jon Basil Utley tion of bartering away the litigation- onerous climate regulation. However, Publishing Consultant driven, EPA-run regulatory system. liberals like Sen. Maria Cantwell (D- Ronald E. Burr Yes, British Columbia has a rev- Wash.) have proposed a revenue-neu- Editorial Assistant enue-neutral carbon tax, which so tral “cap-and-dividend” plan, and even Marina Olson far has done no noticeable economic climate crusader Rep. Henry Waxman Founding Editors Patrick J. Buchanan, Scott McConnell, harm. But the BC carbon tax is not (D-Calif.) included partial preemption Taki Theodoracopulos a model for the U.S. Hydropower of EPA’s regulation in his infamous 2009 provides 90 percent of BC’s electric “cap-and-trade” bill. The American Ideas Institute generation but only 7 percent in the Absent from Lewis’s critique is any President United States. Small service-oriented significant attempt to dispute the posi- Wick Allison businesses are the backbone of the BC tive results from British Columbia’s tax, The American Conservative, Vol. 12, No. economy, whereas energy-intensive which he concedes “has done no notice- 5, September/October 2013 (ISSN 1540- 966X). Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Offic. Published manufacturing and energy produc- able economic harm.” There’s a good 6 times a year by The American Ideas tion are major U.S. industries. reason for that: the tax didn’t increase Institute, 1710 Rhode Island Avenue NW, Suite 1200, Washington, DC 20036-3128. The BC carbon tax actually provides the burden of government one Canadi- Periodicals postage paid Washington, DC a cautionary tale, as only five years after an dime. It simply shifted it away from and additional mailing offices. Printed in the USA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes enactment there have been calls to hike income and toward pollution. Lewis ex- to The American Conservative, P.O. Box 2023, the tax to fund progressive projects. It plains away this success by pointing to Langhorne, PA 19047-9023. Subscription rates: $59.95 per year (6 issues) was a factor in the BC premier elec- BC’s service-heavy economy and its re- in the U.S., $69.95 in Canada (U.S. funds), and tions this year, and the winner, Christy liance on hydropower for electricity. But $79.95 other foreign via airmail. Back issues: $12.00 (prepaid) per copy in USA, $13.00 in Clark, campaigned on freezing the tax. America’s economy is actually more ser- Canada (U.S. funds). Enactment of any carbon tax, how- vice-oriented than BC’s and our greater For subscription orders, payments, and other ever small, affirms the warming move- reliance on fossil fuels actually provides subscription inquiries— ment’s alarm narrative, but no carbon a broader base for a potential tax, thus By phone: 800-579-6148 outside the U.S./Canada 215-826-8411 tax, however large, ever will be enough allowing for much more dramatic cuts Via Web: www.theamericanconservative.com to satisfy the movement’s demands. to anti-growth taxes. By mail: P.O. Box 2023, Langhorne, PA 19047-9023 Conservatives cannot advocate a The real political fantasy is hoping Please allow 6–8 weeks for delivery of your carbon tax without giving credibility that Republicans win the presidency, first issue. Inquiries and letters to the editor should be sent to those who scare the public to justify maintain the House, and secure the 60 to [email protected]. For government control of energy markets. votes in the Senate necessary to disman- advertising sales call Ronald Burr at 703-893- A conservative movement that is tle EPA’s regulatory scheme despite fac- 3632. For editorial, call 202-955-3600. This issue went to press on August 28, 2013. pro-energy and anti-tax challenges a ing approval ratings of 28 percent. Copyright 2013 The American Conservative. 4 THE AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 { Vol. 12, No. 6, November/December 2013 } The Turning Tide of 2013 s 2013 draws to a close, it’s worth taking stock of Republican, and John Conyers, a Democrat, forged a bipar- how far conservatives—and the country—have tisan coalition to scale back the NSA’s activities. That coali- come over this past year. tion fell short in its first attempt but continues to grow. Even In March, Sen. Rand Paul took to the Senate the (somewhat) remorseful author of the Patriot Act, Rep. Afloor to filibuster John Brennan’s nomination to head the Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), is helping lead the fight against CIA, calling attention to Obama’s drone warfare at a time the national security state’s abuses. Real reform seems to be when attitudes toward it wavered between approving and in the offing. indifferent. Even as the president courted the Kentucky And a year after Mitt Romney’s “47 percent” gaffe helped senator’s fellow Republicans at dinner, Paul spoke about cost Republicans the 2012 election, there were signs this fall the Constitution and the necessity of having explicit, public that the GOP is eager to court working families again. Rom- checks on the government’s war powers here at home. He ney wrote off almost half the country when he said, “there left the Senate floor 13 hours later in a country won over to are 47 percent who are with [Obama], who are dependent his view. upon government, who believe that they are victims, who The idea of breaking up the biggest Wall Street banks, believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, meanwhile, found some traction inside the Beltway this who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to spring.