American Agora

NYT's David Brooks appeared this morning on CBS's Face the Nation:



If there is one consequence of last Tuesday's election, it is that the modern conservative movement is completely in shambles. In the wake of the Obama presidency, the GOP has splintered, as I see it, into two factions: there are the Palinites, and the Jindalians. One wants to keep a stranglehold on the archaic politics of the Bush administration, the other wants a return to the era of Reagan and the "shining city on a hill." Now, both have their obvious faults. In a nutshell, Palinites want to establish the American flag as a symbol of the New Crusades, while Jindalians are more focused on smaller government (if that even exists anymore), and the redefinition of American exceptionalism on the global stage.

Either way, if anything is clear from last weeks election results, the GOP needs to appeal to the youth vote. Both Palin and Jindal accomplish this, but only one will have any appeal in 2012.

- A.S. Noel