The Death of Conservatism

The heartless, spiritually bankrupt intellectual frauds who openly court -- and are disturbingly non-judgmental of -- the most intolerant loathsome elements of the political landscape (who for some unconscionable reason have been consulted about virtually everything our government has been doing or undoing for the past six plus agonizing years) -- these are the fruits of a particular strain of conservative idealogues with a shared affinity for the Hobbesian view of humanity, which postulates that people are essentially evil and the role of the ruling class, the government, was to have a standing army and police presence and little else. Essentially that the "people" were totally on their own, frontier-style with no public services, healthcare, college grants, headstart, maintenance of roads and bridges, public defenders, job training programs, Medicare, Medicaid; you get the picture.

Also violently opposed to the Jeffersonian assertion that people were basically good and part of a government's function is to engender the conditions where life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are possible through education, hard work and a sense of community, whereas conservatives have only contempt for the notion of a fair playing field.

Conservatism is in its last throes if you will, twisting in the wind, dying like communism did because neither philosophy works by definition -- they both operate from the fraudulent premise built around contempt for and control of the people.

In the coming months and years history will not absolve them. These multimillionaire radio and television personalities who stoke and taunt "Joe Sixpack" with cleverly and sometimes not-so hate speech, railing about the danger of gays taking over and turning everything and everyone gay; Hollywood liberals seem to be among the most evil people since Sodom and Gomorrah, African-Americans are attacked in veiled terms that are usually not as veiled as they think, playing on people's fear of losing their job, demonizing foreigners seemingly from everywhere, scoffing at the notion that there is no class system in this country. All the while looking down on rubes and suckers who vote against things that are in their self interest and very survival to help further a cynical, mean-spirited political movement that has become a dangerous parody of the most astoundingly inept, impotent bully wannabes who can count among them physical and intellectual cowards who knowingly and smugly perpetrate lies that have literally cost untold lives.
How did this legendarily generous and open nation become fearful, distrustful, anxious and worried about our families, our country, our future?

We must resist being manipulated into thinking that a so-called "war on terror" is "winnable"; this is as patently impossible as trying to empty a river with your hat. Terrorism is a tactic, not a country -- there always were terrorists and will always be. This is not a war that can be "won" in the conventional sense -- that is clearly an impossibility. Recent events have shown that good police work can do more than an ill-conceived war that has become a recruiting tool. The sooner it ends, the recruits diminish and the police, with the federal government's support, can do what they are trained to do.

The Department of Homeland Security was a totally unnecessary boondoggle that is redundant and sadly ludicrous because it is now known that prior to 9/11, all the information we needed to anticipate and probably prevent the attack was in existence but not shared by different agencies because of turf battles and rivalries for funding and boys with secrets out of control and not sharing because it's their secrets.

As we continue to watch conservatism devour itself we can all hope that in the end, Jefferson's dream of fair governance can be realized before it is too late.

To be continued

-- Richard Belzer

Comments

[andyboy]

Fat chance. How will our hope become reality? Jefferson is dead.

Who was it that said America is the end all and be all?

Oh yeah. Nobody.

Richard I adore you and your comic wit and your acting is good too. But you must understand your government despises you. Yes you. They work actively against your interests at every turn. The fix is in. The deal?

Done.

We are so having the hardest time coming to the simple realization that our government is pretty happy with the way things stand in America today and aren't in any particular hurry to "fix" anything.

Now man up Rich and just admit there isn't a thing you can do about it.

I mean do you really think Congress loses sleep over healthcare or prescription drug prices? Or anything? Pick an issue.

We need to get our collective heads out of our collective asses and start screaming like insane idiots. Just remember when you do your just as likely to get shot as jailed.

[oafishcad]

I'd like to think this analysis is correct. However anyone who's watched conservatives in action knows they'll fight like a cornered badger if they think they're threatened. Do not underestimate Conservatives. They've had years now of all power and assets being transferred to them, they will not give it up without a fight. They are after all entitled to rule.

[JamesinPG]

While I would love to think that this every- man-for-himself philosophy will soon go the way of feudalism I fail to see solid evidence that agents of change are in place.

I fear that while all of us liberal bloggers are banging our heads against the wall in frustration and preaching to our collective choir about social revolution, the great majority of of countrymen have been convinced that they are powerless and are simply trying to get by each day. This of course becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Sadly, it seems that the level of pain needed to wake up the social conscience has to be on the scale of a major economic depression or a war that impacts everyone and not just someone else's children. The dull hunger that we all now feel is too easily masked by the fast food fix of the newest consumer gadget or the phony drama of the latest mindless reality show.

By starving arts and education these same corporate masters have also gone a long way to insure that creative minds that are our canarys in the coal mine are marginalized.

What is the answer? Looking to the government or the media, or any other establishment to change itself is futile. Waiting for leaders or messiahs to emerge is wishful thinking.

It may seem like sermonizing but the only things we can absolutely change are our own hearts. One by one we can turn off the TV, pass on the new cell phone, be kinder to each other and begin to quietly cease to cooperate with the status quo. These little acts of personal revolution will be ridiculed and change will come slowly, but if we really believe there is a better way to live and have the courage to practice what we preach those changes will come. Most important is to not let the selfish and the greedy count on our despair. The "heartless conservatives" that Belzer talks about will always be eager for a shouting match but they are helpless in the face of a good sense of humor.

[BigDan]

Well put, Mr. Belzer! Thank you!

And don't forget about e-vote machines made by GOP corporations and suppression of minority and other non-GOP voters, too, please!

[gaydem]

What more need be said??? Excellent blog post! Bravo!

[ndifference]

Richard, I think you are aces but you've got a couple of run-on sentences in there that nearly collapsed my skull. As for the spirit, Right On! I'm looking forward to part 2.

[mommadona]

Uh.....dea­r.....WHER­E HAVE YOU BEEN FOR THE LAST 8 YEARS?

Nothin' like a new convert to get that 'fire in da belly' after the barbeque is over.

[Mark701]

I agree with most of what you said. However, be careful about pronouning the death of something before it breaths it last breath. It wasn't so long ago that blowhards like Limbaugh were claiming that democrats were unelectable yet here we are stronger than ever.
Also the beast of conservatism must be killed with reason and logic and not bludgeoned into submission lest it rear it ugly head again 10 years from now, angrier and more hateful than it is now.

[bethinCary]

I agree with the posters here who note that it is NEO conservatism that is the enemy of both conservatism, democracy, and liberalism.

NEOconservatives are those who have thier own corporate interest in mind at the peril and waste of the country-it's people, it's resources, it's treasure.
The PNAC signers and Cheney who are working on behalf of oil and defense industry are the real criminals.

[BadChristian]

"Also violently opposed to the Jeffersonian assertion that people were basically good and part of a government's function is to engender the conditions where life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are possible through education, hard work and a sense of community, whereas conservatives have only contempt for the notion of a fair playing field.

Conservatism is in its last throes if you will, twisting in the wind, dying like communism did because neither philosophy works by definition -- they both operate from the fraudulent premise built around contempt for and control of the people."
--
--

Excellent!

The few remaining dead-enders of illiberalism are expiring, and their ranks are refilled by the inbred mutants like Oreilly, Beck, Limbaugh, Malkin and other deranged hatemongers.

[yowza1]

Thank you Mr Baber for an appropriately acerbic and incisive commentary that is on the money. Fascists are made, not born, and if everyone enjoyed their naturally endowed, inalienable rights there would be no need for jingoism, social Darwinism and egoistic presidents pushing their neurotic, fatalistic agendas on a scared and gullible public nation. Much praise for your words sir!

[Grannysue]

I would suggest that both parties clean up the crap, not only with it's political members but the way it runs campaigns and hires thugs to run their re elections. The American public has had enough bible thumping, morally righteous, finger wavers to last it a lifetime.
Because most of the finger pointers should be pointing it at themselves.
Let's do something silly like go back to following the Constitution and the rule of law!
I know it's not as much fun as torture, or water boarding or having our enemies pose with dogs and the like, and I realize that not being able to spy on every American in their home, their banks, their jobs, on the phone, their e-mail and cell phones. Yup, it's really going to be hard but you know I really think we maybe able to make it, because there were some people before us who used the Constitution and it really worked out pretty well for them! So for the next President I have a request, would you mind terribly using our CONSTITUTION and govern the way our country was suppose to be governed, we would all appreciate it. Oh, I'm sure there aren't any copies left in the WH, Cheney probably had them all burned, but you could go to the national archives and pick up a copy.

[CatfishJohn]

...Mr. Belzer, you fail to realize that the corproate media is conservative america's best friend...d­umb 'em down, amp up the fear, ignore the relentless administration Orwellian lie machine ( in fact, matter of factly present it to the public as factual reality),obfuscate the reality of the plutocracy and deny the racism, fearmongering and hatred that is at the core of the conservatives electoral political success since 1980....i dont see the next edward r. murrow out there and i dont see people like eric alterman and david sirota getting TV time like ranting youngright wingers michelle malkin and jonah goldberg and conservative fossils liek Bob Novak regularly do... vapid millionoare sycophants like katie couric are now the source of mainstream media "gravitas"­..."people magazine " criteria as the basis of tens of millions of votes... in fact, explore the reality of how CBS willfully slanted their coverage in favor of Bush during the late summer and fall of 2004 and it will scare you and get you to think twice about your claim faster than you can say, "President Fred Thompson"

[Stanley]

The boondoggle is that traditional conservatism has been replaced by "me first" and the valuable ideas of limited governance and personal freedom are being lost in the shuffle. The founding sentients of "Don't tread on me" are a mere slogan in antiquity.

We somehow believe that big government will solve our problems? This is laughable!

Our government is necessary for upholding the Constitution, national defense, regulating and enabling interstate and intercountry commerce (including roads and briges) and little else.

Our state and local governments have greater ability to meet our additional needs with a greater chance of accountability.

Conservatism is not dead, but prostituted in a mad power grab to serve the powerful and intimidate the weak.

Terror is an emotional state that is logically countered with love, freedom, truth and beauty. Our tolerance is what makes us strong, not our ability to destroy. We are mislead because we agreed to be afraid and give away our principles. Blame nobody and love more.

We will soften the hearts of our enemies with a strong balance of kindness and conviction along with taking responsibility for our actions while asking for and giving forgiveness.

[ihavenobias]

"Our government is necessary for upholding the Constitution, national defense, regulating and enabling interstate and intercountry commerce (including roads and briges) and little else."

Interesting, considering defense is only ONE of the several points in the preamble to the constitution:

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

[nuQlerOstrich]

Boy that sounds down right Communist.

We the PEOPLE = Proletariat
...more perfect UNION = organized workers
...COMMON defense = Communist?
...general WELFARE
Liberty = Liberalism

The Neo_Cons have pretty much done away with the rest of that, secure the blessings of Liberty stuff. The demise of 4th Amendment protections, 5th Amendment due process, Habeas Corpus etc.

So much for the Constitution, huh?

"I do solemnly swear... so help me GoD" My guess is that Judgement Day will NOT be a very happy time in Washington, D.C.

[joekonn]

Yea! Belzer, I only hope you are correct. Half dead, weanie-lipped white guys have had far too much to say for far too long. I have to agree that it is not Conservatism but corporatism and fundamentalist christianidiocy, who call themselves conservative that are the problem. It is those borrow and spend crusaders that we need to dump. If the war in Iraq turned around tomorrow, it would still not be worth the deaths (American and Iraqi) and the money. This war has been a serious virus to the current and future US economy...­.what US dollar? W sure knows how to spend, just like Reagan.