The End Of Social Conservatism?

Writing for the National Review, Sean J. Miller argues that Republicans will need to consider re-branding themselves following their virtually inevitable crushing defeat next week:

What do you do after a major storm? Rebuild.

...

After suffering a string of electoral defeats in the last decade, the Conservatives under Prime Minister Stephen Harper are now in the ascendency, having won back-to-back elections.

...

Fifteen years ago this month, the ruling Progressive Conservative party, as it was known then, lost all but two of its 151 seats in Canada’s House of Commons. Holding so few seats, they lost their “official party status.” The defeat effectively splintered conservatives into two parties, both of which failed to compete with the dominant Liberals. In the political wilderness, they experimented with a mix of issues, slogans, even party names.

In 2004, conservatives reemerged as a single party which emphasized economic issues over social ones. They became a broader, more popular coalition, Sands says. “They talked about lowering taxes, good fiscal management.”

I couldn't agree more. The culture war is basically over. Most Americans care more about economic than social issues.

John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate was a craven ploy to draw in the religious right. To some extent it has succeeded in doing that, but it has also alienated many swing voters. Picking a moderate with impressive economic credentials would definitely have been the right thing to do--and it might have even made McCain more competitive.

(Via the Minnesota Independent.)