I don't know of any self-professed conservative, except for some libertarians, who speak out against any of the above, tho I don't get out much. In my reading of the mood of the people (both of which are dubious) there's been a greater galvanization toward support for all the usual law and order stuff. Its the rare conservative who can speak out publicly against executions or the drug war and survive the charge of apostasy. The appeal of law and order issues and the fear of electoral defeat has long been the bait the Democrats set and then themselves ate that has the US remaining a crime-ridden country (albeit with declining rates) and one of the most punitive.
I kinda liked Wojtek's take on the current prospect for radical change, tho I'd split the difference between him and those who disagreed. Nothing much will happen and its gonna occur really soon. Nader and the Greens have a better shot a attracting folks than ever before - the democrats have done a swell job at disaffecting their usual supporters. But the momentum feels very much on the right and I wonder if its pull won't ensnare some on the left. I mean we're now experiencing bourgeois riots! Now the Dems could never stage a mob action and if invited none of the usual agitators would show up. But do we gotta admire the gusto of those freedom lovin' Cubans and the exuberance of ex-frat boy Republican operatives!
The antipathy of the right toward Clinton remains strong and easily extends to things liberal generally. The inability of Gore to concede the election combined with the use of the courts to buttress his case seems largely to fan the flames. That Hitchens among others have lighted on the street tricks of Democratic party operatives in Florida and elsewhere seems an extension of that old antipathy toward Clinton & Co.'s ability to cheat death. Add to that the rising chorus disputing Clinton's credit for the economic good times while pointing more and more to Greenspan helps seal in people's minds that market prosperity is better left to bankers than government bureaucrats. Even the discussion on LBO endorses the primacy of the Fed over Clinton. The lead's the same even if the details differ.
Anti-Clintonism is becoming a curious multipartisan affair. But I'm picking up some weird vibes as leftists appear envious of Republican maneuvers or finding solace in conservative actions. Conservatives can be formidable organizers, at the grassroots as well as in the centers of power, thanks to biblical solidarity and owning the cops along with everything else. But conservatives especially have that flare for command and control stuff. This is notwithstanding the few stalwart Leninists out there in the revolutionary vanguard. Or the Teamsters. And for the gun-loving left I'd like to observe that Republicans are probably better shots. Notwithstanding their sometime zeal with number of bullets expended.
Dennis Breslin