Don’t Need Leaders

I have said before that Conservatives do not need or want leaders. Conservatives already know where the are and what they want. They do not need leaders to take them somewhere else that they are not. Conservatives want spokesmen to articulate the views they already have. If a would-be Conservative leader feels confident enough to try to lead Conservatives to new ground, generally they will balk, revolt, refuse to follow.

Followship is voluntary, not required. A leader cannot compel followers to follow. If no one follows, then he is not a leader. And basically Conservatives just do not have leaders. Frequently Liberals mistake Conservative Spokesmen for being Conservative Leaders. Sometimes popular Conservative spokesmen mistake themselves for Conservative Leaders, too. When they try to lead their "followers" to new ground, they look over their shoulder and no one is following.

President Bush has experienced this on his Immigration views. And it has come home to roost, as the Liberals say, with the Harriet Miers Supreme Court nomination. Liberals appear to be a little puzzled by the whole thing. Liberals tend to give their leaders overwhelming devoted support. For them, something doesn't add up here. The sheep aren't sheep. Who are the sheep?