Ross Douthat attempts a definition of 21st century American conservatism.
A commitment to the defense of the particular habits, mores and institutions of the United States against those socioeconomic trends that threaten to undermine them, and those political movements (generally on the left, but sometimes on the right) that seek to change them radically in the pursuit of particular ideological goals.
Which is nice, I suppose, but doesn't in fact mean anything. What habits, mores, and institutions -- or, more importantly, whose habits, mores, and institutions? (See Holbo if you want more on mores. (Very sic.))
There is not much in Douthat's post to make me reconsider my contention that it's a mug's game to try to distinguish between Pure Conservatism and Conservatism as it has been actually practiced by actual people, especially since the rise of Movement Conservatism. Attempts to nail down just what the hell Pure Conservatism might constitute invariably end up sounding sensationally banal (as with Douthat), comically mean-spirited, or just plain dumb.
The likeliest reason for this phenomenon is that "Conservatism" in 21st century America is not a "philosophy" or a "doctrine" or anything similar, but rather, well, identity politics. When you're taking a position that "conservatism" was probably wrong to be pro-Jim Crow, and you know that this is a controversial stance within your own circles... well, excuse me, but you're the guy with two nickels standing out amongst the penniless -- not bad, relatively speaking, but you ain't quite rich, brother.
Douthat wants to tell us that the end state of conservatism is some sort of post-ideological zen-like condition where "There are no final victories" and "'elegant, short-term' resolutions are often all that we should aim for." Hooray!
But, you know, if these are the tremendous advantages offered to us by "conservatism," I myself wonder why the fuck they did not materialize in the fall of 2002. A certain degree of pragmatism would have been just the ticket back then.
I teach. The last week of the semester, I am inured to hearing failing students explain quite passionately why they don't deserve the bad grade. Maybe the dog ate their Burke, is what I'm saying.