Intellectual Conservative Politics and Philosophy » M. Dylan McClelland

Acknowledging the 4th Strike: Rethinking the Right to Inmate Healthcare

M. Dylan McClelland — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:43:28 +0000

Inmate healthcare claims represent the 4th Strike – the final opportunity for the intermittent and permanent persistent offender to pillage the innocent.

I. Introduction

Three strikes laws have become commonplace in America.1 Often referred to as habitual offender laws, "3 Strikes" sentencing statutes require courts to award minimum mandatory sentences to serious offenders with prior convictions, [...]

Recapturing Marriage: How Blue State Conservatism Can Reinvigorate the Pro-family, Pro-marriage Agenda

M. Dylan McClelland — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:00:32 +0000

California conservatives should co-opt the recent Supreme Court decision, embrace the importance of marriage as a unifying and positive institution in America, and propose a strong pro-marriage, pro-family agenda.

The California Supreme Court’s decision in In re Marriage Cases, which concluded that the California Constitution required recognition of same-sex marriages, reverberated around the country. [...]

Uncomfortable Distaste vs. Stability and Equality: Is there a Conservative Case for Same Sex Marriage?

M. Dylan McClelland — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 13:07:03 +0000

It is time for conservatives to ask the question: does our moral, religious unease, distaste, or other objection to homosexuality outweigh our desire for a stable society in which the marriage and family laws encourage and enforce commitment.

There is likely no more contentious wedge issue in American politics than the battle over same-sex marriage. [...]

The Marriage of Bryan and Scopes’ Monkey: How Scientific Advances will Change the Course of the Values Debate

M. Dylan McClelland — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 14:00:58 +0000

Less than a century after the famous "monkey trial," America once again stands at the precipice of a traditionalist versus secularist battle over the fate of a nation and a culture.

We refer not to the New Jersey Supreme Court’s latest matrimonial excess. 1920’s America was immersed in the traditionalist versus secular debate popularized in [...]

Winning Matters: Policies and Politics for Blue State Conservatives

M. Dylan McClelland — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 12:05:43 +0000

Governing is about compromise. Politics is about winning. And Conservative progress requires both.

America is not a collection of red and blue states. Numerous “blue” states actually compromise many red voters. For example, California and New York, long considered safe blue states, are both minded by Republican governors, and contain many consistently red counties merely [...]

Strangled by my Bootstraps: Confessions of a Disabled Conservative

M. Dylan McClelland — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 12:05:46 +0000

No government program can replicate the respect and hope borne from the blessings and, yes, tragedies of life.

The stereotypical image of the Republican Party is that of defender of wealth and privilege, friend of corporate America. This image is no doubt fostered because the GOP takes startling positions such as low taxes are [...]

It’s the Entitlements Stupid: Rethinking the Immigration Debate

M. Dylan McClelland — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 15:00:06 +0000

If conservatives are adept enough to recognize the opportunity to win not only the Latino vote, but public policy gains long out of reach, then the GOP can become a permanent majority. Or, it can ignore the prospects for inclusion, opportunity, and success, and drive over the cliff on an overly constrictive "enforcement only" truck.

[...]

Dangerous Liaisons: The Left’s New Love Affair with Article I

M. Dylan McClelland — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 13:06:23 +0000

The Left’s recent attempts to subordinate the President’s Article II war powers constitute not only an attempt to co-opt powers expressly granted to the Executive Branch under the U.S. Constitution, but also mark a shift away from the legal orthodoxy in which constitutional rights serve to invalidate undesirable state or federal legislation.

Introduction

2006 [...]