A friend pointed out that a lot of the discomfort surrounding McDonnell’s thesis comes from its arcane terminology – words like “fornicator” and “homosexual” are less common nowadays and suggest some distasteful religious overtones. My friend went on to argue that this has turned a fairly anodyne statement of socially conservative principles into a lightning rod for political criticism, which is unfair because McDonnell was a) writing for an extremely conservative audience at Regent University in the late 1980s and b) hasn’t exactly been hiding his views on cultural issues since then.
I’m less willing to excuse McDonnell for “playing to his audience” – if you decide to relocate your entire family to attend an institution founded by Pat Robertson, you probably know what you’re getting into – but the argument about McDonnell’s language is worth considering.
When you strip away all the weird-sounding terminology, the only thing that really separates McDonnell’s thesis from bog-standard social conservatism is his outspoken opposition to women in the workplace and his enthusiasm for stigmatizing gays. These views would make me think twice about voting for the guy, but on both counts McDonnell has a pretty plausible basis for the “changed my mind” defense: his wife works outside the home, his 2005 campaign was run by a woman, and McDonnell now says he opposes sexual discrimination in the workplace.
None of this is to suggest that McDonnell is a closeted liberal. But absent some contradictory evidence, I think he probably changed his mind on some issues since 1989. And aside from the creepy word choice, it’s worth noting that most of McDonnell’s thesis falls well within the socially conservative mainstream. If you’re not a social conservative, you may not want to vote for him (I plan to continue my unbroken streak of skipping every election out of sheer laziness to signify my opposition to the state’s coercive power), but I don’t think an old thesis reveals McDonnell’s secret theocratic tendencies.
I plan to continue my unbroken streak of skipping every election out of sheer laziness to signify my opposition to the state’s coercive power)
As a progressive, I’m delighted with your voting strategy. Sounds like a winning plan to me. I hope other conservatives follow your example, and maybe we can get some much-needed housework done around here.Report
Ha. Given the state of the Republican Party, I venture that quite a few conservatives are doing the same thing.Report
Boston Tea! Or Green! Or Prohibition! Just vote third party!
Show up and say “None of the Above” (or the next best thing). If you didn’t show up at all, maybe it was because you were drunk or busy or whatever. But if you show up to say “Earl Dodge Was Right!!!”, that sends a (very) slightly louder message than none at all.Report
I think part of the discomfort is due to social conservatives belief that their values are not considered acceptable or popular in the mainstream. So they would prefer to use coded language or not admit what they are driving at.
I haven’t followed this closely, but he could just come out and say “wow those beliefs, words, ideas were wrong. I have changed my ideas and here is proof (insert proof) of that”.Report
In 1983, James Watt (yes, *THAT* James Watt) banned the Beach Boys from playing at the National Mall for the 4th of July saying that rock concerts drew “an undesirable element.”
The 80’s were nuts, man. They were positively nuts.Report
Wait, what? Nobody told me that “homosexual” wasn’t being used anymore. Why wasn’t I informed? At our last “Overthrow the Family” pow-wow, my fellow gay agenda partisans totally failed to mention this to me. (I suspect all the effort it takes to convince people that Lady Gaga is a “singer” took up too much of their attention.) Can someone tell me what I’m supposed to call myself now?
In all seriousness, I’m not so taken aback by the social conservatism espoused in the thesis as how recent it was. I know it was two decades ago, and all, but to be that stridently anti-working woman by the end of the 80s? Weird. I mean, did he learn nothing from “9 to 5”?Report
Nicely put, Dan. But hasn’t “homosexual” largely been replaced by “gay,” at least in popular culture?
Maybe that wasn’t the best example, but this thesis is replete with terms – fornicator, cohabitators etc. – that really seem awkward and anachronistic.
As for your point about working women in the ’80s, I suspect social conservatives are a decade a two behind every major cultural upheaval.Report
gay=happy?Report
I just want to be able to say “lavender” in a regular conversation again without everyone snickering.Report
I don’t think an old thesis reveals McDonnell’s secret theocratic tendencies.
I don’t know what it reveals about his views on theocracy, but I think it quite plainly represents his tendencies, which are no longer secret. As Yglesias pointed out yesterday, he was 34 when he handed this thing in. That’s plenty old enough to be fully reflective about the meaning of your views. I don’t dismiss the idea that he’s ha changes of view, but given that such changes are pretty much necessary for him to hqve a political career, there is every reason to be extremely skeptical about the sincerity of the changes. At the very least, he should be asked detailed questions about the process, reasons, and timing of the changes. And as to his personal life belying his previously stated views, since when do we assume that politicians don’t routinely go through life espousing and even believing in particular public political or social ideas but leading private lives complete;y out f keeping with those?Report
Being as I am actually 34 right now, I reserve the right to totally disavow every single one of my beliefs if it becomes expedient in the future to do so.
I am also somewhat relieved that my current age is still young enough that inconvenient views can apparently be ascribed to youthful indiscretion.
*crushes beer can on forehead*Report
I seriously doubt my views will stop evolving when I hit 34.
Though oddly enough, I really thought that they were done evolving at 28.
Goes to show what I know.Report