Posted on 09/19/2005 8:10:32 AM PDT by Mikey
The turn of the century was supposed to be the triumph of the conservatives. From the dark era of the Democrat-dominated '60s and '70s, conservatives began their protracted march toward electoral power, culminating finally in the long-awaited capture of all three branches of the federal government. The Reagan Revolution was finally to be realized in earnest!
But just as most Republican Supreme Court nominees have turned out to be treacherous supporters of big government – activist liberals in disguise – their legislative- and executive-branch colleagues likewise revealed themselves to be every bit as unfaithful to conservative principles of small government and individual freedom. As is all too often the case, conservative success carried within it the seeds of its own demise.
President Bush's recent speech on his administration's planned long-term response to Hurricane Katrina marked an interesting point in the continued devolution of American conservatism. Whereas his first five years had previously been a strange combination of strategic Wilsonian foreign policy and tactical Keynesian domestic policy, the president managed to make it abundantly clear that in domestic terms, his presidential guiding light is Lyndon Baines Johnson, not Ronald Wilson Reagan.
Real conservatives now understand they have been betrayed – badly – by this fraudulent man. Compassionate conservatism, as it turns out, is simply another name for Great Society liberalism, and not even the Texas swagger is original. Genuinely conservative Republicans are dismayed by the president's unveiling of his core liberalism and rightly fear for the future of a party which has likely seen its high-water mark already.
But nothing dissuades the Three Monkeys from screeching and howling their enthusiasm for their Dear Leader's every action. They have redefined conservatism to be the actions of one known as a conservative, so the individual is no longer defined by his ideology, the ideology is defined by the individual.
Consider radio host and former WND columnist Hugh Hewitt's take on the president's speech:
My acquaintances at the nation's leading "conservative" blog, Powerline, agreed:
Unfortunately, celebrating the realization of that which one opposes is the predictable end result of pragmatism, which is nothing more than a euphemism for the slow sacrifice of one's principles. Longtime readers may recall that I wrote the following in 2003:
As I feared, that tide has continued to rise under the aegis of a Republican House, Senate, presidency and Supreme Court. So, are there truly no conservatives left in the Republican Party today? Or is the determination to see, hear and speak no evil about the present gang of Republican charlatans in office based on a fear of giving aid and comfort to Hillary Clinton in 2008?
In either case, it is apparent that mainstream politics in America has been reduced to a Seinfeldian sport wherein voters are simply rooting for laundry.
Since the Republican Party has dedicated itself to racing its Democratic rivals in offering more bread and circuses to the underprivileged masses, there is no longer any reason for conservatives to support it. Disenchanted and dismayed Republicans will do well to remember these pragmatic betrayals of conservative principle when The Most Important Election of Our Lifetime rolls around again three years from now.
Vox Day is a novelist and Christian libertarian. He is a member of the SFWA, Mensa and the Southern Baptist church, and has been down with Madden since 1992. Visit his Web log, Vox Popoli, for daily commentary and responses to reader email.
The Democrats are so far to the left now that Republicans have become "moderates"?
Take the whole bottle of pills and get it over with, rat. Can't you spread your sunshine somewhere where it's needed, like the North Pole? I hear they have a great deal on homesteading up there right now.
Anglo-Saxon Capitalism (Conservatism) is spreading all over the world. Are you deaf, dumb, and blind?
The money collected by the establishment is disbursed to career RINOs and other Rockefeller Republicans.
I agree. I thought it was weird for something called the "Constitution Party" to be running (practically) nothing but a Presidential campaign ... as if the Constitution had authorized the President to be National Messiah. The whole point of the Constitution was to put as much as possible under State, local, or no government control.
BTW, you are a newbie, don't call people trolls and DU people when you are wet behind the ears.
What exactly will the "collapse" look like?
But their issues are national and international, not zoning or school taxes. I doubt they want to build a patronage system.
Worth repeating.
I guessed that we were both conservatives wanting the same thing.
No luck so far, they have moved significantly left.
I disagree. While some things being done by the current administration and congress are not to my liking, I know it is far better than what the Democrats would be doing.
I know that politics is a battle that never ends. I know that politics is a war you never, ever win. I know that the political side I take will never, ever fully support my individual views perfectly. I know to never lose faith and to keep pushing towards what I want, even though I might never see it realized in my lifetime.
So, are there truly no conservatives left in the Republican Party today?
I take no one seriously who says the Republicans and Democrats are one in the same.
The Republican party isn't conservative any more, GWB is left of JFK (not kerry), I'm sick of it. Keep giving them votes and they will continue being democrats with R's by their names.
We are all LBJ liberals now! Bye Bye Conservatives.
Hmmm, probably somewhere between the republicans and the Libertarians. Fairly fiscally conservative, but with some decidedly liberal social tendencies!
"GWB is WYSIWYG as far as politicians go."
Translation, please?
Conservatives principles haven't changed one bit. The writer gives conservatives way too much credit concerning past elections. We were part of a block of voters that elected Republican majorities in all three branches of government. It certainly doesn't mean that we agreed with everything those three branches said or did. Our reality at the time was do I vote for a Republican or a demoncrat? The choice was easy.
I will fault conservatives for not pressing the national party hard enough for qualified conservatives to fill Republican seats. The primaries are so important and the above mentioned reason is why. Once you get to the general election, your choices are quite limited. Every election cycle is the same for conservatives. We are always the bride's maid and never the bride.
The Libertarians do the same thing.
"If you set your goals low enough, you are bound to achive them"....Walter Payton
Yes, although most SPR's I know are essentially anti-gay marriage and pro-life. Think "Larry the Cable Guy" as a good example (although I don't think he actually watches South Park.)
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