Recall, a year and half ago, David Brooks' opined that TARP and the Bailouts would usher in a new era of Progressive Corporatism, an "era of the educated establishment, in which government acts to create a stable — and often oligarchic — framework for capitalist endeavor." In other words, an end to "ideology." At the time, I posted that, contrary to Brooks, I saw the same as engendering a new era of radical class politics, a renewal of ideology.

Time has not been particularly kind to Brooks' foresight, as there is no more dirtier word now in politics than the "establishment elite." Brooks looks on at the populist discordant medley blowing sour tunes into his ears and is suddenly having flashbacks to the Doors or Jimi Hendrix, writing now of resurrection of the 60's New Left in the guise of WalMart Hippies. Brooks correlates today's Tea Parties with the 60's New Left, a rather humorous correlation, and a weak one at best. When engaging in 60's historical revisionism, it typically bears pointing out the usual erroneous conflation of the Hippie 60s counter-culture movement with New Left politics. The hippie counter-culture was largely apolitical, hence the appropriate use of the adjective "counter" to describe it. It was largely about self-organization of counter cultural institutions, not about using politics to change "the establishment." The New Left, on the other hand, was return of the radical left to american politics that had laid dormant for decades under the boot of FDR "Corporate Liberalism." Sure, there was some synergy, but at most, it can be said the New Left was much more culturally influenced by the Hippies than the Hippies being politically influenced by New Left politics.

The Tea Parties, for the most part, unlike the New Left--which was a systematic critique of the Corporate Left--is a mere partisan movement. If John McCain had been elected president--and, rest assured, he would have pursued much of the same fiscal policies as Obama(of course, with GOP establishment support)--do you think we would being seeing any Tea Party movement, apart from the libertarian stragglers that originally composed it? No doubt, the Tea party movement is cherry-picking libertarian ideas to make a squalid case against "Big Government." Prominent cherry-picker Jonah Goldberg takes umbrage with Brooks, pleading the case that Tea Partiers love America and seek only the restoration of the constitution. You would think, then, that the principles of the great charter, the Magna Carta(that is, establishing the principle that the rights of men are not to subject to arbitrary whims of rulers), at least in token, would be a consideration. But no, as Liz Cheney, Dick Cheney, and a concerted neocon intellectual class keeps reminding us, arbitrary Executive power continues to be a prime political wedge issue for the right.

So Brooks is right that the Tea Partiers, for the most part, are "anti-conservative," but not quite for the reasons he thinks. Writes Brooks:

Conservatism is built on the idea of original sin — on the assumption of human fallibility and uncertainty. To remedy our fallen condition, conservatives believe in civilization — in social structures, permanent institutions and just authorities, which embody the accumulated wisdom of the ages and structure individual longings.

I wouldn't use the term "original sin" as a foundational raison de etre of classical republicanism, but it is true that such holds "liberty" to be the daughter of institutional order. But, in classical republicanism, said institutions are not enforcers of arbitrary power. Tea party conservatism, to the extent it cherry picks what arbitrary power it is for or against, demonstrates it is indeed antithetical to "conservatism." But Brooks championing rule by elites is nothing more than obedience to authority. Neither are conservative, if you want to define conservatism as "republicanism."

Tea parties aside, there is ample evidence that a conscious class conflict is brewing in America. When it breaks partisan categories, then it will be radical. And then, the likes of Brooks will have their "New Left" to contend with...