How to lose the culture wars
Economist | Renegade magazine invites the forgotten uncle Federalism to the family reunion. Finally.
Back in 1992 Pat Buchanan worked the Republican convention into a frenzy by declaring that America was engaged in a “cultural war” for the “soul of America”. Mr Buchanan was right that America is particularly prone to battles over culture. But he was wrong to imply that these are all-out wars in which victory goes to the most uncompromising. ...
This is because culture warriors ignore one important point: for the most part the culture wars take place inside individuals rather than between committed ideologies.... Overreach is also foolish because it exposes conservatives as fair-weather federalists. The strongest conservative argument against abortion is that the Supreme Court overstepped the mark by imposing a single solution on a diverse country; but since then the Republicans have used their temporary dominance in Washington to trample on states' rights.Such overbearing behaviour is not a monopoly of the right. The American left has long imposed its values on a divided country through the courts...