Judd Gregg’s defection really crystallized some thoughts for me:

1. Apparently he was not the true believer in conservatism that we thought he was;

2. The word “ideology” doesn’t mean what it once did;

3. “Crisis” apparently is supposed to redound only to the benefit of the left.

1 – Gregg says it’s OK for him to be banished to the Commerce Dept since he has a deal with the NH governor to appoint a Republican, or an independent who would caucus with Republicans, thus preserving a “filibuster-able” count of 41 Republican seats. I got news for you, Judd, it doesn’t matter which party the new guy caucuses with, it’s how she votes that counts. Our 41 seat safeguard is already in peril – think Susan Collins, et al. If the NH Gov appoints a liberal who is a supporter of organized labor, do you think she’ll be on the conservative side when card check comes up? What will Senate Republicans do if she bails? Kick her out of the caucus?

If Sen. Gregg truly believes that conservatism is the best course for the country, and for NH, he would put country ahead of his own ambition and stay in the Senate where he could help to stop some of the leftward excesses of the current powers.

2 & 3 – His first pronouncement was that this was no time to be an ideologue. Ideology is defined as a set of beliefs that determine your world view. Is he saying that ideology is fine in good times, but when times get tough, you have to forget all of your beliefs? My view is that one forms an ideology based on serious thought and experience. The time you test the tenets of your ideology is the time that it is sorely tested; if you give it up in the face of adversity, then apparently you didn’t really believe in it or have no confidence in its efficacy.

Rahm Emmanuel famously said words to the effect of “a crisis is a terrible thing to waste.” In other words, he wants to use the crisis to move the country leftward in a hurry. He doesn’t seem to mind being ideological in a crisis.

Moral of the story: we need people who believe in conservativism. Really believe. Once we find them, then we figure out how to communicate that properly to people in all walks of life. You can tailor the message, but you shouldn’t alter the core beliefs depending on situation or audience.