The Intellectual Scam and
The Revolt of the Conservative Elites

posted at 10:12 am on June 17, 2009 by The Other McCain

One of my favorite movies — which I would rank near High Noon among the greatest Westerns of all time — is The Outlaw Josey Wales, in which Clint Eastwood portrays an honest peaceable farmer who sets out to avenge his slain family. This quest leads Wales into the bloody guerrilla warfare that typified the Civil War in Missouri, and results in him being branded an outlaw whose only hope of survival is to evade the federal army, vicious Comancheros, and a swarm of bounty-hunters eager to collect the price on his head. One of the best lines in the movie is when a self-important politician says, “there’s an old saying: To the victors belong the spoils,” prompting a memorable reply from Josey Wale:

There’s another old saying, Senator: Don’t piss down my back and tell me it’s raining.

Those Western words of wisdom sprang to mind today when Conor Friedersdorf decided to lecture me about True Conservatism. After nearly a dozen years in Washington, I’ve seen enough of this particular modus operandi to recognize it for what it is:

The ambitious conservative intellectual’s quest for status among those whom he regards as his peers requires that he distinguish himself from (a) mere partisan operatives, whose objective is to elect Republicans; (b) mere journalists, who observe and report; and above all (c) the stupid voters out in the sticks who make up the rank-and-file grassroots of the conservative movement.
It is ambition, not ideology or ability, that distinguishes the elitists from the rest of us. . . .

You can read the rest of that, or not. It’s not like I’m the only guy who sees through this charade — Dan Riehl is certainly not deceived by the elitist scam. The self-interest of the elite leads them into a sort of ideological rent-seeking, wherein they pretend that conservatism is a philosophy so nuanced that Ordinary Americans can’t comprehend it without guidance from sophisticated intellectuals. (Actually, conservatism is very simple.)

The arguments of the elite are not what they seem. They have no stake in “issues,” since the results of elections or congressional votes or wars make no real difference to their status as elites. Rather, the key point the elites seek to demonstrate is their own superiority, so as to justify their eminence by perpetuating the belief that we can’t get along without them. But pompous intellectuals are a dime a dozen — Harvard produces a fresh bumper crop every spring — whereas without the rank-and-file grassroots, there would be no “movement” for the intellectuals to pretend to lead.

What annoys mainstream conservatives is the insulting arrogance of the elitists, who not only proclaim that we are insufficiently sophisticated to understand True Conservatism, but who compound this insult by imagining that we’re too stupid to know when we’re being insulted.

Yeah. Well, my back’s getting kind of wet, and I don’t think it’s raining.

UPDATE: Intellectual treachery has consequences. While I was busy responding to Friedersdorf, Memeorandum posted up these items:

• Dem, GOP centrists meet in secret  —  Centrist House lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are working together privately on healthcare reform. . . .
• U.S. to Extend Its Job Benefits to Gay Partners  —  President Obama will sign a presidential memorandum on Wednesday to extend benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees . . .

By making “conservative” arguments for liberal policies, these treacherous elitists convey the message that conservatives are not really committed to opposing liberalism. So Democrats can ram through their agenda, and then the “conservative” intellectuals will join the Consensus Chorus telling us that this is a necessary “reform” which would be political suicide to attempt to repeal.

It’s a dirty scam with which no honest man should desire to associate himself.

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