David Brooks begins his most recent column thus:
In years past, American liberals have had to settle for intellectual and moral leadership from the likes of John Dewey, Reinhold Niebuhr and Martin Luther King Jr. But now, a grander beacon has appeared on the mountaintop, and from sea to shining sea, tens of thousands have joined in the adulation.
The gist of his argument--if that's the right word--is that Moore is, somewhat intellectually bereft compared to the Left-leaning luminaries of the past. And in comparison with someone like Reinhold Niebuhr he is.
If you're interested in the rest of the column, you can read it here.
It seems to me that this is probably equally true of the Right. I'd like to write a letter to David Brooks and/or the editor. What I want to do is rework his own column with examples from the Right.
I just don't know enough of the names to do it justice. Who were the serious conservative thinkers of the 20th century? Russell Kirk is much beloved, but he was less than a philosopher and not an historian. Nor was he active in the world the way that John Dewey was. Who is the Right's John Dewey?
Who is the Michael Moore of the Right? I don't know if it's fair to compare him to Ann Coulter.
Anyway, I'd be grateful for any suggestions.