. . . I think progressives who wish to restore the passions of the progressive era make a mistake when they think this can be done without severe drawbacks. I'm not saying that today's progressives will become eugenicists (again) simply by trying to recreate the parts of progressivism they still admire. I'm saying that once you unleash popular movements driven by cults of personality and obsession with the rightness of their expert-priests, it's impossible to guarantee they will be forces of for unmitigated good. It's like saying, "We can recreate the wagon trains of the 19th century, but this time there won't be any horse manure."
The fundamental insight of conservatism is that there's always horse manure. |