It ain't easy bein right.

I'm not surprised that this book isn't a class favorite but I've found myself looking at McGirr's work with a kind of sympathetic contempt. It is a tale of a political movement against an embedded and growing ideology, with strong federal power and social upheaval. Now maybe part of my pity comes from the fact that I have read Conscience of a Conservative and as I recall, it struck me as fairly reasonable compared to the criticism normally heard of conservativism. What I found particularly important to McGirr's work is the attachment of the social factors linked to what conservatives were arguing for. What I had hoped for though was a larger analysis of the contradictions of the conservative movement and those of the liberal movement solely for some inserted logic. I will applaud McGirr however for situating the conservative movement in the context of motivations and grassroots action in a period of social movements. I don't agree with the bulk of the conservative movement or the implications of their issues, but I can certainly support fighting the government if for no other reason than entertainment.