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If traditional conservativism is dead, it’s because of the denizens of WingNutDaily.
Do you think conservatism is dead?
The poll refers to a wailing column by Joseph Farah lamenting the death of conservatism, in the wake of what he says is the failure of the Republican revolution ushered in with the Contract With America clowns of 1994. He longs for the ascendancy of more assertive (!) culture warriors. Read more after the flip.
In 1984, during the height of the Reagan Revolution, a friend of mine, Phyllis Schlafly, led a heroic victory over ratification of the federal Equal Rights Amendment. No one really expected it to turn out that way when Phyllis first got started. The ERA was seen by the cultural elite as a no-brainer. But Phyllis waged a relentless, tireless, courageous political fight against it that culminated in the ERA’s defeat.Yet, in the succeeding 23 years, many of the worst nightmares ERA opponents predicted if it were ratified have become realities. That’s because conservatives’ adversaries are always on offense and don’t limit their combat to one field of engagement. Who could have imagined, for instance, 23 years after the defeat of the ERA that we would have same-sex marriage in its wake? What they couldn’t accomplish in the world of politics, they accomplished in the world of culture – a world in which they face little or no opposition.
I almost fell out of my chair when Farah mentioned Reagan, Ann Coulter, and Rush Limbaugh in the same breath as being “the few conservative voices…permitted to exist in their cultural stronghold of the media.”
13 Comments
Not Conservative EnoughHomos are running free, women are allowed to wear shoes and work outside the home and control when they have children, minorities trouble our beautiful minds with their problems. Things were so much better in the 1950′s when we could just have them locked up.
InterestingI don’t think it’s a mere coincidence that this entry has a diaryId of 666.
Heathens, all of us!
true conservativeshave been lamenting the death of their party for years now.
i don’t think just think these people aren’t traditional conservatives, but with their constant attacks on our personal freedoms, their theocratic leanings, and their corrupt corporate shackles, they barely qualify as americans. they certainly aren’t capable of upholding the constitution or our beautiful system of checks and balances. but man, can they ever beat up on a gay guy–it’s breathtaking.
even though i don’t personally support it, i can’t wait for the real conservative party to make a return and put an end to their false issues and ineptitude, permanently.
um, troll alert?
Real Conservatism is deadWhen I was in college in 1965 I concidered myself as a conservative. My hero was Barry Goldwater (and he still is)and he got my first vote for President. I voted Republican right up until Bush I tried to make it two terms. I voted for Clinton, twice. I voted for Bush II the first time around because I believed his tripe and learned my lesson.I thought I had changed over the years and had become more liberal. HBO recently had a special on Goldwater and I realized I hadn’t changed, the Republican Party had changed. Its been hijacked by the religious right. Consevatives like me have become independents. My family came to this country in 1658 to escape religious persecution in the Old World and settled in New England. I feel the bigest threat to the country I love is not the middle east terrorists but the likes of LaBarbera, Camenker, Wildmon, Shelton, and Farwell. A real conservative supports a woman’s right to choice and gay rights like Goldwater.
Not my political persuasionBut I have always found the libertarian spirit (if not the economic policies) to be admirable. Your comment is right on, and so is Pam’s opening line: If traditional conservativism is dead, it’s because of the denizens of WingNutDaily.
Only a con-servative would celebrate waging a campaign against “equal rights”. . .but I love the references to Phyllis Schlafly, who singlehandedly fought desperately to keep every woman in the home but herself – while she traveled around raking in money from speaking engagements.
I am so sick of these crazies whining about the “culture” as if their own ability to have and hold principles is entirely dependent upon requiring everyone else to embrace them as well. Ya know, I don’t care if they wanna be batsh*t crazy – just as long as their long, sex-deprived noses keep away from my constitutional rights and my right to embrace life.
Some people are too insecure to be happy unless they are strictly disciplined, often by some kind of deity – a sort of spiritual slave/master, sub/dom relationship which makes them feel secure. Reagan con-servatism, which had its own distasteful faults, wasn’t extreme enough for these wingnuts, and now they are reaping the wackiness they sowed.
Conservatism as it exists today is in decline because the people of this country do not want a dominionist, authoritarian government headed by emotional cripples. Nor do they wish to embrace a group of people whose maturity hasn’t evolved beyond middle school. When neo-cons declare that everyone and everything must be nuked or killed to “eliminate” whatever perceived threat has been planted into their pea-brains, electing them to office is asking for national suicide and world destruction.
Worse, con-servatives just cannot embrace responsibility. If they make a mistake, they ignore it. If they make a policy error or misjudgement, they spend more time trying to lie about it than find a way out of the mess. They are so overly concerned about images and seem to have little ability to grasp any substance. Every answer they offer is some grand display of hollow symbolism without anything really behind it – and they expect other citizens to make sacrifices for no better reason than to protect con-servative insecurities.
And those insecurities know no bounds. They are obsessed with other people’s lives and relationships, insist they can make better decisions about our own bodies than we can, arrogantly assert that merely by calling themselves “Christian” they can claim to be the official spokesmodels for God, and just can’t seem to get a grip on their own “ministries” let alone anyone else’s lives. They talk endlessly about morality, as if their sexuality alone is an “E” ticket to good character, ignoring all of the real problems in favor of manufacturing enemies out of others. It’s like a cabal of grown-up grade schoolers whose parents never taught them either good manners or public behavior. Everything is a “war”. . .everything another “life or death” matter – which means simply they live in fear – and crave that fear – and need an object for their frustrations and anger. They worship paranoia and call it “God” – declare themselves spiritual and moral leaders while desperately hiding criminal behavior in their own midst. . .and they cling to the hope that enough Americans are stupid enough to turn our destiny over to them.
Right on, HerbYou made the perfect point. The moderates and real conservatives started fleeing the Republican Party after the first Bush II administration. Too many of them have said it was because the party had suddenly become a religious organization and the ideals and principles were abandoned in favor of an elitist agenda by a cabal of extremist, dominionist organizations.
I agree KevinI find most of the Evangelicals I know are very insecure people who are afraid of the unknown. A good discription of them is “sheep”. The likes of Dobson and Perkins take advantage of this fear and play to it. They work the crowds just like Hitler did, playing on fears. They give their flocks someone to blame and hate. If its not the Jews its homosexuals or Hispanics. Its easy to hate someone who is different and these “little Hitlers” know how to play the game.
Fear, Fear and the Perpetration of More Fearhas killed true conservatism in America. It’s Sad. The ones left behind are religious bigoted zealots (aka Pharisees in Jesus’ day) whose demonic mission is to dismantle Democracy to create a Theocracy that controls the majority. I wish these misdirected people would start wearing outfits like Islamic Burkas so good folks will know to steer clear of them. IMHO, these fundie idiots will not be allowed entry into the next world. The Father knows Best for the humanity of our world.
find most of the Evangelicals I know are very insecure people who are afraid of the unknown.Conservative by definition is protection of/defense of the status quo. So naturally conservatives are afraid of the unknown. As my mother (not a conservative) always says – “You know what you’ve got, you never know what you’re gonna get.” The big problem is that the status quo they want to maintain is 50 years out of date.
but I love the references to Phyllis Schlafly, who singlehandedly fought desperately to keep every woman in the home but herself – while she traveled around raking in money from speaking engagements. Let’s not forget that this is the same Phyllis Schafly who has worked tirelessly against gay rights despite having a gay son.
IN NEED OF EDUCATION AGAINWhere in the Bible does it say that God is a Conservative?