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The political centrist / John Lawrence Hill.

JK2391.C46 H55 2009

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Format:: Book
Author/Creator:: Hill, John L. (John Lawrence), 1960-
Language:: English
Subjects (All):: Centrist Party.; United States--Politics and government--2001-2009.; United States.; Politics and government.
Physical Description:: ix, 242 pages ; 27 cm
Edition:: First edition.
Place of Publication:: Nashville : Vanderbilt University Press, 2009.
Summary:: Part I of The Political Centrist briefly traces the trajectory of the liberal and conservative traditions. It argues that modern liberalism is an unprincipled fusion of classical liberal and socialist ideals while modern conservatism is an untenable hybrid of economic liberalism and social conservatism. Part II offers a centrist approach to many of the most contentious contemporary political and social issues. Those include:; abortion; affirmative action; the death penalty; gay marriage; illegal immigration; judicial activism; the relationship of religion and politics; the role of government in the economy
Contents:: Part I Beyond Liberalism and Conservatism; Chapter 1 The Liberal's Paradox 11; Two Visions of Liberalism; The Roots of Early Liberalism; The Utilitarian Influence; The Greatest Liberal of All; The New Liberalism Embraces Equality; Chapter 2 The Conservative's Dilemma 29; Conservatives before Conservatism: The Classical Worldview; The Roots of Modern Paleoconservatism: The Case of Joseph de Maistre; The Father of Conservative Traditionalism: Edmund Burke; The First Skeptical Conservative; Chapter 3 What "Liberalism" and "Conservatism" Mean Today 48; How Liberalism and Conservatism Have Moved Leftward; The Liberal Influence on Modem Conservatism; Reinterpreting Individualism and Collectivism; Openness to Change versus Conserving the Status Quo; Social versus Moral Causes of Human Discontent; Equality versus Elitism; Chapter 4 Why the Big "Isms" Fail 64; What's Wrong with Libertarianism?; What's Wrong with Conservatism?; What's Wrong with Left Liberalism?; Part II Toward a Centrist View of U.S. Politics; Chapter 5 Politics and the Big Questions: On God, Morality, and the Human Condition 81; The Traditional and Secular Understandings of the World; The Temptation of Fundamentalism; The Drift to Secularism; The Further Consequences of Secularism; Where Centrists Stand; Chapter 6 Between the Night Watchman and the Leviathan: The Centrist's Conception of Government 95; The Runaway State; The Argument from Compassion; A Top-Down View of the State; Why Some Economic Redistribution is Morally Justified; The Centrist's Approach to Government; Chapter 7 Centrist Constitutionalism: Democracy and the Role of the Judge 111; Practicing Politics at the Bar; The Countermajoritarian Difficulty; Conservative Constitutionalism: Its Virtues and its Limits; Liberal Constitutionalism: How Far is Too Far?; The Right to Privacy; Centrist Constitutionalism: Four Minimum Commitments; Chapter 8 From Gay Rights to Drug Legalization: The Tension between Individual Freedom and Social Morality 130; Morals Legislation and the Liberal-Conservative Fault Line; The Centrist's Stance; The Question of Gay Marriage; Prostitution; The Drug Legalization Debate; Chapter 9 A Centrist Approach to Abortion 146; Abortion in Social and Historical Context; Two Central Issues; The Standard Conservative Position; The Standard Liberal Position; The Constitutionalization of the Standard Liberal Position; What's Wrong with the Standard Liberal Position?; The Centrist's Approach; Chapter 10 Race, Gender, and Reasonable Equality of Opportunity 161; The Conservative Ideal: Formal Equality; The Liberal Ideal: Substantive Equality; Civil Rights, Yes; Affirmative Action, No; Reasonable Equality of Opportunity; Chapter 11 Crime and Punishment 176; What Causes Crime?; Explaining Crime without Excusing it; The Deterrent Effect; White-Collar Crime, Blue-Collar Crime, and Proportional Punishment; The Death Penalty: Some Background; The Arguments: A Brief Look; A Centrist Approach to Capital Punishment; Chapter 12 The Debate over Illegal Immigration 196; Immigration in U.S. History: The Swinging Pendulum; The Argument for Open Borders; The Conservative Counterattack: The Arguments against Illegal Immigration; The Centrist Approach: Five Proposals.
Notes:: Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:: 9780826516688; 0826516688
OCLC:: 270231657

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The political centrist / John Lawrence Hill.

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