A Conservative's kind of government is on the web

On the National Review website, Republican media guru (and in full disclosure, my boss) Alex Castellanos has an article examining the Republican soul and recommending a new outlook and message for the coming elections.  And with "and-the-planets-align" kind of timing, he cites the internet as a model for conservative government.

Conservatives do not hate government. We never have. We love life when it is well-governed. We respect the flag, our country, and traditional authority. We like a world where rules are observed and regulations are respected....What we believe in is people-driven, choice-filled, dynamic, flexible, equal-opportunity self-government. We should call it organic government. Want to know what your government is going to look like 20 years from now? Ask your children. They will say it will look a lot less like General Motors and a lot more like MySpace. The Internet is an education for us all, a place where people self-organize and govern themselves with maximum freedom. In its reflection, we can see more than the future of technology and communications; we can see the promise of democracy.

The roots of our Republican beliefs can be found in the small models of government.  In local, self-aggregating groups:  PTA meetings, church collection plates, and community watch programs.  It is where individual freedom leads to action. It is where responsibility for oneself and one’s family leads to responsibility for all. This is this government we should be discussing – the government that forms over fences, coffee and a sense of personal empowerment.

So let’s hope that the launch of The Next Right is a moment of recognition and action. In the same way we’d talk to our neighbor about a community issue, let’s hope we talk to each other about where we are going as a movement and what we want in the elections. Just as we’d support a school fundraiser let’s hope we organize to support our institutions and candidates.