A few months ago, Michael Lind delivered a primal scream of a book about how the Republican party is intellectually inert and conservatism is a secretive conspiracy. After letting his rage out in the pages of Out of Conservatism, Lind is feeling much better. In last week’s New Yorker, he argues that “intellectual vigor” is “fast becoming Republican property.” In the long run, “the Republican party’s donnybrooks will have helped to identify it as the party that tackles difficult issues.” Never has an author renounced a book so quickly. Hey, here’s a terrifying thought: Maybe Lind is turning conservative again.
