Conservatives have been in a historical state of mind lately, and as the author of a new book on the history of the American political debate (The Progressive Revolution: How the Best in America Came to Be), it has been pretty entertaining to watch.
First came the teabaggers, the faux spontaneous uprising backed by corporate contributors, carefully planned Astroturf consultants, and Fox News sponsorship and promotion night and day. Then we saw the right-wing Governor of Texas casually throw out the idea of secession from the union. Now we see conservatives debating amongst themselves whether to call Obama a socialist or a fascist. (My favorite quote from the story on this is from former Michigan GOP party chair Saul Anuzis: "You've got to be careful using the term 'economic fascism' in the right way, so it doesn't come as extreme.")
Conservatives know this country is at a historical crossroads, and I suspect that what they fear most is that they are just as much on the wrong side of history as their ideological ancestors were in the 1860s when the end of slavery was being debated, in the early 1900s when women's suffrage was being debated, in the 1930s when social security and the minimum wage were being debated, and in the 1960s when the civil rights were being debated. In every single one of those historical debates, conservatives:
-labeled their opposition socialists (and worse)
-called for states' rights instead of a federal solution
-said that they were the true heirs of the founding fathers, and were the keepers of America's traditions and values
-warned that the charges being proposed were frighteningly radical, and would destroy the economy
-that big government would lead to a destruction of all of our most basic liberties
These conservative arguments have always been tinged with more than a little hysteria, just like today. And no matter what, conservatives always insisted they owned the moral high ground. Defenders of slavery argued that slavery was not an evil but in John Calhoun's words, "a positive good," and that Southern society was based on the institution. Those opposing women's suffrage said giving women the right to vote would destroy the American family. Conservatives in the 1930s argued about social security that "never in the history of the world has any measure brought here so incisively designed as to prevent business recovery, to enslave workers, and to prevent any possibility of the employers providing work for the people." Southerners violently opposed the end of Jim Crow, arguing that it "encroached upon the reserved rights of the states and the people."
Conservatives have always hysterically opposed progressive change. They have used the same arguments-for tradition and states rights, against "big government socialism" -- in every era. In those past eras, history was not on their side. It is not in our time, either.
Mona Gable: Obama Going to Talk to Kids: Yikes!
You'd think Obama was showing kids on live TV how to slip a condom on a banana.
Conservatives have been on the wrong side of history on EVERY major "social" issue as Mr. Lux writes (slavery, suffrage, social security, civil rights, etc.), and now climate change, education, and health care, etc..
They are supposed to be capitalists and fiscally conservative; however under democratic/progressive administrations the return on stocks has been many multiples more than under conservative administrations; I'm not sure about all of history, but in recent history (the last 75 years?), even deficits have been smaller and reduced more under progressives.
I heard Krugman say once that Conservatism is just a theory, because in history it has always failed. Yet they always seem to find/buy their way back into power.
Other than to be selfish or preserve status quo, please, someone tell me why be a conservative?
Have you ever read how Jefferson really got alot of the Indians to cede territory? Through business. They just got so far in debt to the outposts that they traded away territory to pay the bill.
That's the same sense of what's going on now.
If you exclude the cost of the Iraq/Afghanistan wars (like Bush did), then we can talk about spending; under conservatives spending always goes up, but they never have a way to pay for it because they are always screaming tax cuts.
I'm not sure the Indians have to do with spending?
Oh, and having a 2nd Grader's understanding of the Bible and using that lack of knowledge for political gain.
That's not any more logical than calling the left socialist no matter what they do.
It's all the same mushy thinking.
The big dog donors are all turning to the Democrats for the future. And Obama has the small donors organized so far beyond the GOP it's like a dream come true. Want to see what a billion dollars in campaign money can do without a primary challenge from Hillary to eat up 60% of it?
Can't wait till 2012. The GOP ticket will not carry 10 states.
Many tin foil hat types believe wrongly that our Founders were conservative. In fact the USConstitution and the DecofInd are the most liberal documents struck by the hand of man, enlightened men at that.
To be conservative in 1776 meant believing in:
the divine right of kings
the privleges of nobility
government runs the church.
The Founders established:
election of president, not annointing king.
USCon. outlaws granting titles of nobility
Seperation of church/state at the top.
We have met the conservatives and they are........................NOT US!
Right now, Iraq has a standing fatwa to kill gay people. A lot of eastern European states haze neo-nazi groups doing the same thing. And in the US, there are right wing groups calling Obama a fascist and some even want Obama dead. They all have one thing in common. There are people in their governments supporting that kind of violent conservatism. The result, these elites stay in power and the oppressive conservative masses have a dangerous, empowered presence in society.
Somehow, this cycle needs to stop. For the good of all humanity, we must convince these conservatives to embrace liberalism and progress.
assault on democracy, fascism, socialism, etc. (If you don't see it it's because you don't want to)
I'm certainly no corporate apologist. Corporations don't have rights, I realize that too. However, if you don't think the government (especially accelerated under Bush II) has become a gigantic slobbering beast that a president should be paring down, not expanding, then check back when a Sarah Palin takes it over.
We, the masses, will never enjoy the security that our congressmen and women enjoy. Socialists?