Saturday, August 16, 2008

Quote of the day - Republicans and intellectuals

Quote of the day:

"[T]he Republican party is no more a natural home for intellectuals than it is for feminists or trades unionists."
I couldn't have said it better myself.

Definition of "intellectual" from the Oxford English Dictionary:
"A person of superior (or supposedly superior) intellect, esp. one having an analytic mind; an enlightened person."
The quote is from Christopher Caldwell, a columnist in the Financial Times. Mr. Caldwell, it should be noted, is a graduate of Harvard, with a degree in English literature.

The fact that such an unfortunate turn of phrase, regardless of intention, can be written by a respected conservative writer (I admit that I usually respect Mr. Caldwell's writing), without apparent irony, is strong evidence of the truth of the statement itself. One wonders if Mr. Caldwell includes himself in either "intellectuals" or "Republicans," since, according to him, they are mutually exclusive.

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