Dear God, Save Us From Ourselves

John McCain and Sarah Palin are proud conservatives. The poster soul mates of the Republican Party (except when they're throwing the other under the bus). Fair enough.

We have a pretty good idea that conservatives don't like government. Indeed, most self-professed conservatives acknowledge this proudly. Never mind that someone who is against government is generally considered an anarchist and hated by conservatives - we'll let that slide for a moment. Even those so much against government they want their state, say, Alaska, to secede from the United States. Let that slide.

"Limited government" is how they'd more likely describe it. And the more limited the better. Otherwise, why limit it? Never mind that if you're paying for anything but only getting the barest minimum service, you're generally throwing good money after bad, which is the very opposite of fiscal responsibility, which is how conservatives pride themselves - we'll let that slide for a moment. And never mind that John McCain just voted for the $700-billion government economic bailout package. We'll let that slide, too.

Conservatives merely want government so limited it just gets out of our way. Never mind that having no government gets rid of Social Security, Medicare, the 40-hour work week, federal bank deposit insurance, power to rural America, child labor laws, public utilities, food and drug protections, FTC protections (like for, oh, poisoned lead paint in children's toys), and protections that keep levees and bridges (and economies) safe from collapsing, which are all the very moral values which help make America The Greatest Nation in the World that conservatives like to trumpet - oh, and government regulations of financial institutions - we'll even let all that slide for a moment.

The conservatives belief is basic: to support the noble American tradition of personal responsibility, a man standing by himself, for himself, totally independent and free to do whatever an American wants. Except when it comes to having control of your own body, or who you sleep with. Or how you pray. Or, okay, who you talk to on the phone and in email (because, admit it, listening in on Americans having phone sex is apparently pretty darn fun after a long day of snooping). Or the important need for being totally dependent on a powerful, united military and defense to protect us because standing together in reliance on one another makes us stronger. Never mind that this contradictory, disingenuous and blind insistence on total self-reliance, answering to nobody but oneself, needing help from no one (except when you selfishly want it because it helps you) shines a spotlight back to the first point, that they don't like government - we'll let that slide for...

Well, no, we won't let that slide. Contradictory, disingenuous and blind don't get a pass. Nor does an insistence on hating government, because that's what this is.

Conservatives hate government so much they've developed what I like to call the "Please, God, Save Us From Ourselves" Initiatives. Or what they call "term limits." We already have term limits, of course - they're known as "elections." That's sort of the point of democracy and freedom, you let people vote for who they want to represent them - or not represent them. But conservatives seemingly don't feel they can be trusted with such responsibility. Sure, they'll say "term limits" are about off-setting the power of incumbency, but we all understand it's about keeping Democrats from staying in office. Honestly, if incumbency worked in favor of conservatives, do you really think we'd hear them begging for "term limits"?

Of course, the true lunacy of "Please, God, Spare Us From Ourselves" term limits is that they make politics the only profession guaranteed to keep the best, most-skilled people from succeeding. As you get good at your job, you have to leave. Worse, they guarantee you won't attract many good people in the first place - how many highly-talented people do you think will get into a moderate-paying profession that forces you to disrupt your life, only to force you out near the end of your peak years, making you find a new line of work when you're middle-aged?

Oh, yes, please, that's the career choice for me! Yes, that's a career choice sure to draw the best and brightest. I mean, yipes, those conditions ensure a self-fulfilling prophecy of getting the least-qualified, least-dynamic people running our government.

And that's what conservatives want from government. Hey, way to go! At least it explains George Bush and Sarah Palin.

This isn't how you put together a government. This is how you get volunteers to clean up following a social mixer, after all the smart people left early or got dates.

Can you imagine any other profession like that? Let's get rid of our teachers after 12 years, just when they're figuring out how to teach. Let's get rid of our surgeons after eight years, just when you're going under the knife for an operation.

Last week, financial expert Michael Bloomberg desperately found way to get around New York City's term-limit requirements, so he can stay mayor in the midst of the financial crisis. Agree or disagree with his efforts, yipes, that's sure the good government you're looking for - get rid of the world-class experts who can help you during a disaster.

There's also a touch of twisted whimsy in all this. Before Republicans brought aboard their ticket a candidate who 21 months ago was in a job she first got elected to with 616 votes, they tried to make their case that John McCain should be elected president because he had the most "experience." That they're still trying to make that argument while proposing Sarah Palin be a heartbeat from the presidency is like a twisted combination of Lewis Carroll and George Orwell. But, boy, howdy, it sure is hard to make that argument about experience when you're the party of "term limits," and therefore on the record that experience doesn't matter.

Liberals have their many flaws. But at least when they enter government service, it's because they believe in the good they think it can do.

If conservatives don't like government, fine, their choice. But the honorable thing to do, then, is to quit running for office.

Comments

[Constituent Response]

What can we do?

We need to focus on "un-electing" those Senators and Representatives who voted "yes" for the Bailout. They were willing to ignore the 90% of us who were against the Bailout, clearly demonstrating that they do NOT represent us.

A new group called the Constituent Response Team has been working to do just that. 

CRT has put together a Bailout Vote Map that makes it easy (as a mouse click) to find out how your Senators and Representatives voted. Tell all your family and friends about it, so they can find out how their Representative and Senators voted before they cast their ballot on Tuesday. 

The Constituent Response Team has also just published pre-customized web banners and ads targeted at those who voted "yes" for the Bailout. You can easily paste these ads onto your website or blog (or social networking site) using simple embedding code (provided off course).

If you are interested in either, check out Constituent Response at http://www.constituentresponse.com . The Bailout Vote Map is on the main page; the "Vote 'no" on incumbents who voted 'yes'" ads are under the Host CRT Ads link.

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Oh Robert, doncha know it's harder to WRECK government if you're not IN government?

[DeniseD]

That would be great! No Republicans in office ever!

[JerryFreeman]

Thanks for defining my beliefs... The conservatives belief is basic: to support the noble American tradition of personal responsibility, a man standing by himself, for himself, totally independent and free to do whatever an American wants. Except when it comes to having control of your own body, or who you sleep with.

Thats always the problem with generalization. If I have to label myself as to my opinions, I am a conservative, which means I believe in less government, personal accountability and the freedom and rights of others. Thats it, in a nutshell. I think most people regardless of idealogy or party want the same. The republican party today and in particular this administration is not conservative by any definition.

[llisa]

Great article.

[DrBuzz]

As usual, an astute, scholarly, yet still entertaining piece. Loved the examples in the non-political world. Kudos, RJ.

I, in fact, had discussions on this very subject last week with a friend. What happened when Newt Gingrich and his cronies swore to uphold their own term limits? Well, Joe Scarborough made good on it, but he was one of the rare ones. More the case of, "Gee, this ain't so bad. Um... forget what I said..."

Moreover, when you know that you will not have to spend a long amount of time actually working WITH others, especially across the aisle, you invite the acrimony you have seen played out since 1994. Civility in politics is neither difunctionality, laziness, nor or a luxury -- it is a necessity to get things done with the best chance for a broad mandate (rather than forcing it down their throats, which seems to be the modus operandi of the neocons (with a nod to Pdubya above).

Lastly, where Bob hit a home run on this one is the current planned obsolescen­ce/incompe­tency that a term limit system installs. I'm not thrilled when people hang around for decades, either, but if their constituency didn't like them, they'd vote them out (cf. Strom Thurmond, Ted Stevens, and even Robert Byrd). When their ability to ***serve*** is compromised, they will be "termed out".

[Pdubya]

The only thing I wish you'd do is start using neo-con instead of conservative. Every vote these neo-cons put forth begs for large government. That said, those votes are "bi-partisan"....as if there is a difference on the Hill. I mean, really, how man Kapturs or Kucinichs are on the Hill? Those are real liberal democrats. And how many Pauls represent true conservatism? The federal government is HUGE, and the duopoly has grown it at the benefit of their enrichment. I am most wary of the center. It has become the highway to disaster.

[benjaminblue]

Mr. Bloomberg is contemptible. If he has ideas about how to save New York, he should launch discussion and implement the best of them now; 14 months remain in his current (legal) term of office. If he fails to do this, he is not upholding the obligation of his office, and he should be dismissed.

Instead, like Mr. McCain, who hints that he knows were to find Osama bin Laden but won't tell anyone unless/until he is elected president, Mr. Bloomberg is trying to tantalize naive voters with empty promises but is coming across as an unpatriotic , ineffectual, petulant criminal.

The fact is, in subverting the expressed will of the people, who have voted twice to impose term limits, Mr. Bloomberg has broken the law and violated the ethical code. And like any other common crook, he should stand trial and be incarcerated for his crime.

[DrBuzz]

Not trying to be a wise guy -- just a West Coaster who only gets West Coast news...

What crime and ethical code has Da Mayor broken (I really don't know, honestly)? The reportage is that he took the issue to the city council, and they are the ones who acted. Seems like asking for a waiver is neither criminal nor unethical, as say, stacking a court and having them act outside their logical jursidiction just because they want to further their agenda (sorry... getting ahead of myself). Isn't the real beef you have (if what I inferred is correct) with the city council?

I would agree that if he has a plan in the midst of a rather new crisis, he should explain and implement it ASAP. However, it seems to me that if his plan has merit, and he (and the rest of us) are working their way out of the crisis due to a good plan (think FDR), that he should have a pass on term limits (which, agreeing with Mr. Elisberg, have always seemed illogical to me).

[PennP]

He's a union-busting corporation man who wants to run government on the business model. We've seen how that works. You may not hear the disaffection, because part of busting the unions is undercutting the grievance procedures and making people too scared to speak up about abuses of negotiated terms. Teachers are angry and demoralized, and it's hard to believe they're the only group adversely affected by Bloomberg's administration.

[slg]

Brilliant!