My friend Clay Calhoun of the Rocky Mountain Alliance has returned to the blogosphere after an extended sabbatical that clearly included some time for reflection. It looks as though he brings a fresh perspective. I look forward to many engaging analyses and challenging insights. His prologue stirs a bit of my own ongoing reflections:
There is a certain love-hate relationship with the political process that many believers in conservative values and limited government, myself included, possess. We need to build alliances while balancing principles with pragmatic compromises, yet we’re often left jilted by representatives and officials we’ve supported who seemingly have lost their way. We understand that the allure of government power plays a role in the tragic element of human nature, yet we often find it difficult to accept.
It’s a struggle on one hand not to bend so far in the prevailing political winds that our core principles are lost as we pour sweat and expectations into the grimy political process. On the other hand, it at times can be difficult not to lose all hope and give in to embittered cynicism. I think Clay is on the right track to look at Reagan as an optimistic model of principled and effective statesmanship (I’d also recommend Lincoln, but I’m biased, too).
We’ve missed your voice out there, Clay. Welcome back!
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