on chasing after innocence

Like the president, Shelby Steele is a Halfrican-American and can get away with saying things impossible for a white man and improbable for a black one. Today in the Wall Street Journal, he ponders why the Democrats have a lock on minority voters, who in his opinion would be better served if they moved to the right:

'Liberalism's glamour follows from its promise of a new American innocence. But the appeal of conservatism is relief from this supercilious idea. Innocence is not possible for America. This nation did what it did. And conservatism's appeal is that it does not bank on the recovery of lost innocence. It seeks the discipline of ordinary people rather than the virtuousness of extraordinary people. The challenge for conservatives today is simply self-acceptance, and even a little pride in the way we flail away at problems with an invisible hand.'

Blue skies! -- Dan Ford