The prelapsarian conservatives of the 30s opposed foreign adventurism and naive Wilsonian internationalism. They wanted to shrink the size of the federal government. In over 70 years, despite massive public spasms of disgust with the federal government, conservatives have only made it larger and stupider.
But then this free market stuff. Live within your means. Fend for yourself. Be responsible. I believed that. But the people you elected didn’t. Bankers, GE, Archers Daniels Midland, military contractors, really all sorts of speculators—they deserved wealth transfers, cheap credit, debt cancellation. These are your welfare queens, conservative movement. Do you know how bad this makes us look, after having attacked poor people and minorities as free-riders?
Though a minority of us still read and adhere to some hearty theology, Dutch Calvinism, Tractarianism or Latin-Mass Catholicism, you’ve abandoned your charges and America to Jesus-is-my-Boyfriend style mega-churches. If the choice is between listening to the wisdom of Kirk Cameron and singing Jars of Clay songs and pledging our virginity versus going to college, reading Kant and fornicating? I can tell you, categorically, we’ll be going at it like heathens and Democrats.
P.S. Scott Brown is what you used to call a “squish.” So, you’re settling too.
From the comments: Genius.
Neoliberal economic orthodoxy, dogwhistle racism, neocon hyper-interventionism, evangelical fundamentalism–these aren’t ideas, they’re cartoons of ideas that have long since metastasized and strangled to death any sane proposition or policy from conservative thought.
Or, it's a lifestyle, or politics designed to fit a lifestyle, rather than an actual political ideology. These "conservatives" would prefer permanent minority status as that would validate, in a weird sense, their beliefs, or provide continued grist for their personal grievance mill.
Lifestyle politics gave us a "conservative" president who expanded the state at all edges.
Or, "conservatives" would have been happier had Gore won in 2000, free to engage in conspiracy theories and about him for four to eight years.
They're energized now. McCain lost and they have Obama in the White House. , that major "conservative" Limbaugh made his name and his real $$$ thanks to the Clinton years.
I liked the article. I thought it was terrific.
But your comments that I quoted here? Marcus, I have chided you occasionally for cynicism or crankyness, but I honestly believe that your comments in the quote are brilliant! I had never thought of it that way, but it is a phenomenally cogent description of the reality.
"politics designed to fit a lifestyle, rather than an actual political philosophy".
Cool.
What's wrong with my "crankyness" you whippersnapper?
Since the vogue of Jersey Shore is still general, I think we can safely say we're not exactly hitting a high point.
To be fair, there's plenty of lifestyle politics played by the other side.
Still, "conservatives" should be above this.
What is the price of arugula these days?
Dunno. I like salads but they sometimes make my belly hurt.
I'm more of a bag o greens guy.
3-4 bucks, like a dummy
Yuppie wines I can help with, but Cali is a weakness for me. I have more old world than new world mojo.
That's not to say the left didn't find being the out party more fun than than the in....
Wine?
Commie.
The other side of the coin is dietary restriction and nerdly propriety with respect to energy consumption and Mother Earth, true.
Or, worse:
Liberal.
Whatevs.
Coming from you, that doesn't piss me off so much. I have a determinate idea, however mistaken it may be, of what you mean by it. So yeah. That's cool with me.
Well, sure. Sen. Taft preferred to be known by that. Sixty years later, "conservatives" throw it around like the left drops "Nazi."
Whatever one might say of the usage, I think the sentiment behind it is genuinely meant.
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