Posted by
Daniel Crandall on Friday, January 12, 2007 5:49:13 PM
Let's face it ... We Conservatives, Social and Fiscal, are losing the cultural debates. Millions upon millions of Americans are following Liberals into the dismal swamp of socialism, moral relativism and multiculturalism. Conservatives have all the facts. Liberals have nothing but emotion. And Conservatives are losing.
An article from the July - August 2006 issue of Commentary magazine, titled "
Of Pills and Profits: In Defense of Big Pharma" by Peter W. Huber, is a perfect example of this. It details, in a somewhat engaging manner, pharmaceutical industry economics. It is as 'engaging' as one can make the "dismal science" of economics. Whether or not the article is exciting is beside the point. It does exactly what it meant to do, i.e., it effectively destroys every Liberal argument against greater government control of "Big Pharma".
It will also completely fail to convince anyone outside the relative handful of Commentary readers or those who frequent Washington D.C. Beltway Think Tanks, i.e. "Policy Wonks". The general public will go on believing that "Big Pharma" is just another example of greedy corporate interests that cares not one whit for those who use their products.
"But wait," you say. "most people may distrust "Big Pharma" but our fact filled polemics will work on the power brokers within the D.C. Beltway. We'll affect policy at its source." That's a great plan that worked out well last November. What was that? Oh, right, all the people who actually read position papers from American Enterprize, Hudson Institute or Manhattan Institute no longer control Congress. So we continue on our slow slide toward socialism.
"So what are we supposed to do?", you ask. Think about this: When it comes to business, medicine and government policy what has had a greater impact on the public consciousness; Mr. Huber's article and many other articles and books just like it or films like "
John Q" or "
The Constant Gardener"?
Hugh Hewitt often says that if you want to do be active politically then you have to "get in the game".
I say if Conservatives want to have any impact on the culture then they have better get in the game. If, that is, the game isn't lost already. More movies, novels and other entertainment and less wonkish books and articles will go a long way toward advancing Conservatism in the American culture.