The Republican Party has traditionally been seen as a party of two parts:  a moderate wing and a conservative wing.  But that view has become less and less relevant as the moderate wing shrinks to a party of basically two people (Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins).

It would be easy to then make the conclusion that the Republican Party is chiefly a conservative party – now that the moderates have fled – and that its views are monolithic and homogenous.  Of course, nothing can be further from the truth.

Indeed, the conservative movement speaks with many voices.  Here is a rundown of the many strains conservatism:

Sarah Palin Conservatism:  Palin is an anti-intellectual conservative, as Richard Hofstadter, the left-wing historian, might have put it.  Although she may not know it, she inherits a proud legacy of populist conservatives, those who disparage the East-Coast elite, who gain more energy by attacking the media, who don’t need to read books (other than the Bible) to gain wisdom.  In many ways, she is a conventional conservative in her embrace of traditional values, of gun-owner rights, of smaller government, lower taxes, and less regulations.  But what makes her unique is her ability to garner media attention, no matter what she says or what she does.  And the more the media attacks her, the more support she gains.  Read more...