Conservatives (Re)acting Badly
As I have written before, nothing makes me happier in politics than being attacked, because you know by the reaction you are getting that you have hit pay dirt with what you are doing. When Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) took the ideas from my book The Progressive Revolution: How the Best in America Came to Be and used them in a floor speech in Congress, and when the reaction from far-right-wing Congressman Steve King from Iowa was a bitter, rambling tirade about socialism, I knew we were winning the argument. And yesterday, when I posted about the July 4th holiday being the embodiment of the progressive values of equality and democracy, three different conservative bloggers (here, here and here) saw fit to attack. That's a very good sign.
What bothers these conservatives so much is the idea that progressive values are at the heart of the American ideal. They love wrapping themselves in the flag, and going on and on about the founding fathers, and really hate the idea that anyone else might lay claim to that history. Their arguments -- that the issues were very different then, that classical liberalism has a different definition than modern liberalism, that American revolutionaries must have hated big government because they hated King George, etc. -- mask the fact that the fault lines in American history, from 1776 on, have always been about expanding equality and democracy, and that progressive-minded thinkers have always been for that, and conservatives have always been against it.
Conservatives have always argued that tradition should be revered and change should be feared. They have always argued that too much democracy is a dangerous thing. They have always opposed expanding the idea of equality -- to blacks and women and the poor, to immigrants and migrant workers, now to LGBT individuals. They have always argued these things, and they still do. And progressives from Jefferson and Paine to those of today have always fought for more democracy, more equality of opportunity, more investment in regular people as opposed to giving everything to the elite and letting them run things.
When Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address, he argued that this nation was "dedicated o the proposition that all men are created equal" and that our government was founded on the idea that it should be "of the people, by the people, for the people." His speech stirred great controversy at the time with conservatives outraged at the idea that, as the Chicago Times editorialized, Lincoln "misstated the cause for which they died and libel the statesmen who founded the government." Those ideas of equality before the law and equality of opportunity for all of us, of government of, by, and for the people instead of government of, by, and for the wealthy elites have always been progressive ideals, and will always be opposed by conservatives.
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Many "conservatives" are simply greedy thugs, and nothing can be done to help them. Many people who vote conservative are just rigid and unempathetic--they can be helped. The better people understand the roles of conservative (not reactionary) and progressive, the better we can help everyone, including ourselves. The strong are the gentle; it is the weak who must resort to terror.
As a conservative, I'm not afraid of change. I'm 27, a West Point graduate, a Christian...and a classmate of Daniel Choi (great dude). I would consider myself fairly liberal on some social issues, simply because I don't think the federal government has any right to intervene.
What I am afraid of, and what I think you intentionally fail to mention, is disregard for our Constitution and the role of government. I don't care which side it comes from. Bush, Obama, right, left, it simply doesn't matter.
You consider yourselves champions of the poor and disenfranchised, but you fail to recognize the destructive impact of government growth and many facets of our 'social welfare' programs. I volunteer with my church (Saddleback) in Compton regularly doing neighborhood beautification, painting local homes, and enjoying fellowship with the overwhelmingly poor and black residents there. I see the destruction of the black family and how it has been precipitated by ill-conveived government programs that have bred a mentality and lifestyle of crushing dependance. Of course, you expect us to only look at your good intentions, never the consequences of your policies. And, should someone like me question your policies based on their actual impact on our society, you attack their intentions, their character, their faith, and anything else you can think of. Or, just bring up Bush and Limbaugh.
Your policies don't match your propoganda. However, re-writing history and redefining progressive and conservative values must make you popular in places like this.
Yes of course the problem in the Black community is that Liberals have made them dependent on government. So your delicate conservative ego need not worry it's pretty head. Years of slavery and family destruction is so 1850's and such a scourge has no repercussions in this late a date. And there hasn't been any institutionalized racism since 1960's. Liberals are just namby pamby do-gooders who just don't care, like you do, about what is good for the poor. And as we recently learned from another conservative, hunger is a good motivator.
You didn't read my post. Or, perhaps, your eyes simply saw what you wanted to see. With that said, I'm not surprised you took the tone you did. Such anger, young troll. Your passive aggressive faux-rage is sad.
Clearly, slavery and institutional racism created the circumstances for the plight of most blacks in America. However, our best-intentioned social welfare policies have in many cases made things far worse. That's the truth. If you spent 10 minutes researching readily-available statistical data regarding this subject, you would see how much WORSE things have become since the 1960s with respect to the black family. You could also ask someone who has lived in a neighborhood like Compton for 30+ years if the "War on Poverty" is making things better. They will probably laugh at you. They can actually remember when a black married family was the rule and not the exception.
Then again, I fool myself in believing you do anything other than arm-chair quarterback from behind that keyboard.
Fanned and faved. Thank you for that reply.
The opposite of liberal is authoritarian. Conservative just sounds nicer. Getting yelled at all day and punished by authoritarians in the military will make you one too. The abused become the abusers.
I'm sure that the poor that have painted houses thanks to you are grateful. I am also sure that they would rather have a job that paid a decent wage so they could paint their own houses.
But, since they are victims and aren't responsible for their own life choices, they are forced to take welfare, right?
Get a clue.
A few things: How is it that you see the "destruction of the BLACK family which has been precipitated by ill-conVieved government programs....." Just what are those programs? And why is that you focus only the BLACK family? As is being black is synonymous with being poor, when the large majority of the poor are white? After all, the numbers of teen pregnancies and welfare recipients are constituted by a white majority by and large . And if you really want to concentrate on "government programs" I will agitate for you to do your research on the percentage of the federal government's yearly budget allocated for corporate welfare as opposed to social welfare. There is NO comparison. In any case, yes, I do consider myself a champion of the poor and the dis-enfrachised, as was Jesus, and as he commanded any REAL Christian to be, but you expose and contradict yourself by intimating that the lack of perceived effectiveness of programs is a reason not to do them, or other's at all.
Did you even read the initial post?
Did you even read my initial comment to that post?
That should help you.
Why are you bringing up corporate welfare? I don't support that either, so your point is meaningless.
By the way, there is a lack of ACTUAL effectiveness in many of these programs. Do. Your. Research. As I said above, I would gladly support programs that empower people to do for themselves. Our current programs do not. That being the care, perhaps you will allow me to be a REAL Christian again.
How have the last eight years of conservative values helped those neighborhoods?
http://saddleback.com/MediaCenter/play.aspx?site=T4b+cAc7zM4=&m=+MdcglzRQQI=
The right talks itself hoarse about progress, but always impedes progress.
Conservatives show two dominant traits--rigidity and lack of empathy. The leads to change being very hard on them (rigidity) and its need incomprehensible (lack of empathy). Change feels like a loss, so they fight that loss. We who do have empathy need to be both strong and understanding because the better we can help them see that change is needed, the better they will be able to adjust.
you can't make someone who is blind see. We just need to put our best foots forward and take the steps we need for progress....with or without them, change is coming. Change is ALWAYS happening...they just don't realize it.
Every second of every day the world changes that is just the reality of life as we live it, there is no changing it.
True--but the less they fight, the better for all. If we truly believe we are doing the right thing, then we should keep the strength of kindness in our souls.
This is at the heart of every discussion made on this site, and in politics in general. This post should be one that has 5000, comments at least. I would speculate that if it did,then very few of those post would be from avowed "conservatives". This is the case because the truth of agendas could not be more thoroughly articulated as it has been here. I agree with Mr. Lux, and I will proudly state that I am, always have been,and always will be progressive. This is also why I think that a movement has to be undertaken to label those who oppose the progressive position not as "conservatives", but an assignation of a label more akin to the truth of their agenda. That being "regressivism".You see, regressives would be perfectly happy with a return to the monarchy (They actually were against detaching ourselves from it in the first place.) or a dictatorship. We need to start calling a spade a spade, and mitigating the mouthpiece that these people have.
"Frugal" and "careful" to conservatives means greed and pre-emptive war.
"Tradition" to conservatives means regressive, elitism, exceptionalism, nationalism, jingoism, plutocracy, superstition, theocracy, racism, , fear, and paranoia.
Many still confuse "conservative" with its polar opposite "conservationist".
Conservative Republicans and Democrats impede democracy and foment conflict and dictatorship.
If the conservatives actually had to put "all men are created equal" into practice it would destroy everything they really love: money and power. If they can't count on being able to groom their sons to take their place in the future (think Bush Sr. and Jr.) then surely $$America$$ won't survive. They love America and hate Americans who aren't rich, white and male. Is this really shocking?
Nicely stated. I think I'll have to read this book. It seems to me that being a conservative is trying to stop the inevitavble - change. All things conservatives were against then are now accepted and the things they oppose now will be accepted.
EXACTLY!
Conservatives are ALWAYS on the wrong side of history.
I LOVE Mike Lux. I am just finishing the book (it made great July 4th reading). This post is an excellent summary of the points made in the book. Highly recommended.
"..the fault lines in American history, from 1776 on, have always been about expanding equality and democracy, and that progressive-minded thinkers have always been for that, and conservatives have always been against it."
Beautifully stated. As more and more traditionally marginalized groups gain their fair share of rights in the US the ownership stake in America changes. Economic and social justice is frightening to conservatives because more equality for more people equals an expanded culture away from rigid social values. This is the 21st century manifestation of our civil war.
I guess the progressive argument, and the conservative argument have been around for millenia. We need both sides...but we also need a third side to bring those two opposing forces together.
The conservative acts like a beast, the liberal acts like a humanist. The one will always try to kill the other or steal his share.
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