A sentimental and naive Republican

Ever since the infamous ’60s, Republicans have portrayed themselves as hardheaded realists and Democrats as sentimental idealists. The Daddy party versus the Mommy party, all that. Never mind that their idea of a manly avatar is George W. Bush. Conservative pundits, talk-radio personalities, right-wing bloggers and faculty lounge lizards alike seemingly get a testosterone boost out of contrasting their tough-minded worldliness to feckless liberal schemes for the salvation of mankind. Today’s reality is almost precisely the opposite. Contemporary Republicanism has sacrificed the reasoned self-interest of the American people to abstract ideology at every turn. It’s bitterly amusing watching GOP culture heroes forced to confront their failure