What Is Conservatism?

 

Here are two things we know. We know change is a natural universal constant. And we know conservatism resists it, even though conservatism itself goes through changes.

Those changes have been for the worst, especially during the past few years. Conservatism has spawned Trumpism.

There are hardly any moderate Republicans left in the federal government. Except for Mitt Romney, they have shown no sense of decency and conscience in their lock-step loyalty to Trump and desire for power.

Were conservatives always this way? 

What is conservatism? What are its values and purpose? 

We know what it isn’t.

Political conservatism isn't much of a philosophy, but professes to be.

It isn’t religion, but usually comes wrapped in it. Institutional religions and especially fundamentalist sects are generally conservative in nature, depending on their greed/charity ratio.

It isn’t patriotism, but claims it as its own.

It isn’t necessarily tradition, but is presented as such.

It isn't even much of an ideology, unless the status quo is defended as the ideal. But conservatives are good with change that benefits them, or empowers them politically.

It’s flexible. It is dogma. It is belief. It is authoritarian.

So what are conservatism’s values and purpose?

If it promotes the well being of our population, fairness, equal rights under law, democracy, and rule by consent of the governed, then it is good. Religion is also a good thing for conservatives when it helps them treat their fellow human beings better. Faith should be a personal matter for those it benefits. They should try to understand why the founders wanted no state religion, that faith should be a guide in our private lives, rather applied to government policy and the law.

Some conservatives have these values, shared by liberals and our nation’s founders. These are traditional American values, forged while the conservative Tories opposed our Revolution.

In the first four score and seven years of the republic, many conservatives with a conscience opposed slavery, alongside progressive abolitionists.

Some conservatives thought it was right to let women vote.

But more often conservatism is mindless embrace of tradition over progress, as long as tradition includes the status quo. Not coincidentally, but conveniently, the status quo serves the interests of the wealthy, and their power to suppress democracy, equality and the general welfare of the people. 

Wealthy conservative Southern white men waged war on the US to preserve slavery. They did their best to suppress voting rights of the former slaves after the war. 

Tragically this conservative tradition lingers. 

Today’s conservatism rejects fair elections and fair representation while it constantly seeks ways to suppress voters, especially minority voters.

As we’ve seen over the years, the Republican Party made some serious reversals on minority issues.

They are definitely more conservative than ever. In fact, American conservatism has been significantly radicalized over the last few decades. Social media and the Right's vast propaganda network have succeeded in pushing conservatism further to the right than its ever been in U.S. history.

We’re told by some voices on the far Right that Republican policies are not “real conservatism”, because of corporate subsidies and other market involvement. Not that any of them complain about it. They’re too busy resenting welfare for the poor and needy.

Be that as it may, all Republicans say they are conservative and “real conservatives” empower the Republican Party.

Historically conservatism has tended to be authoritarian in nature. It has embraced and served monarchy, aristocracy, slavery, capital punishment, theocracy, fascism, empire and autocracy, and now Trumpism.

It’s been marked by an entrenched, closed minded resistance to democracy, racial and gender equality, labor rights, women’s reproductive rights, social safety nets and humanitarian progress. 

Conservatism has values beyond fundamentalist evangelical religious dogma. Conservatives tend to revere wealth and the wealthy. They invoke their infallible "free market" god that defends, abets or tolerates all of those authoritarian institutions listed above.

What did Jesus say about taxes, the rich, and serving mammon? Conservatives would generally prefer not to discuss this.

One thing valued by conservatives is freedom. Or at least their interpretation of freedom. Some believe Constitutional taxes are “tyranny”. Some of the more delicate and over-sensitive ones think wearing a mask during a pandemic is a loss of freedom. They don’t seem aware, or care, that spreading a virus, disease, and death has an even greater impact on others’ freedom. 

Libertarians and other conservatives love their Second Amendment “liberty”, but have little use for protesters’ First Amendment rights to challenge racism, vote suppression, theocracy, corporate malfeasance and authoritarianism.

Too many conservatives are now openly hostile to a free press, siding with Trump and accusing the press of being “enemies of the people”. “Liberal media” and “fake news” didn’t go far enough to demonize journalism. This has always been an underlying conservative attitude towards dissent and questions about their intentions and methods.  But they love their state media and their bias for Trump. That’s different. Only pro-Republican propaganda becomes “good journalism” in their view.

How’s that for "Constitutional liberty” and a “free press”? Do they care that Trump admitted to CBS's Lesley Stahl, “You know why I do it? I do it to discredit you all and demean you all, so when you write negative stories about me no one will believe you.”

We recall the second Bush administration promoted a new “compassionate conservatism”. Then it promptly started a war based on lies, imprisoned people without charges, and tortured them.

Since 9-11 right-wing terrorism has been as deadly as Jihadist terrorism in the US. Both embrace their respective hypocritical and radical religious conservatism.

Speaking of terrorist activity, what happened after Trump tweeted, "LIBERATE MICHIGAN!"?

Radical Right terrorists were inspired to plot the kidnapping and murder of Michigan's Governor Whitmer. This is the dark side of conservatism.

The truth is, conservatism has rarely advanced compassion of any sort. Too many “other people” don’t deserve it. Let them eat cake.

Now under the dark shadows of Trumpism, former President George W. Bush's speechwriter David Frum noted, "If conservatives become convinced that they cannot win democratically, they will not abandon conservatism. They will reject democracy.”

And they have done just that.

“Stop the steal” has become their crazed projection in their attempt to overturn our fair election. To them, Constitutional impeachment was a “coup”, but destroying our democracy for a tyrant is “liberty”.

Their glaring hypocrisy was also displayed by Mitch McConnell’s flagrant disrespect for his constitutional duty to vote on Merrick Garland’s Supreme Court appointment. He shut it down because an election was 8 months away. “Let the people decide”. That went out the window when he rammed through Amy Barrett’s appointment to the court a week before the 2020 election.

Treachery, hypocrisy, greed, and conservatism have always been partners in authoritarianism.

If I may expand on Frum’s assessment, ”If conservatives become convinced that they cannot win by facts and reason, they will not abandon conservatism. They will reject facts and reason.”

Firm conservative beliefs rarely yield to facts and reason. The Right will even redefine words to fit their viewpoint. Now the Democratic Party is the “socialist party”.

And that is how they shut down dialogue 

Since good faith discussion is impossible with hard-core conservatives, they cannot be trusted to act in good faith. They always serve wealth and the wealthy over the public good. Given the opportunity, they will take food stamps and healthcare from the poor, and give tax cuts to the rich every time.

Today’s conservatives cannot be trusted with the safety and well-being of the people. Those were never their priorities.

It has become a cult that breeds division, bigotry, racism, sexism, greed, militarism, and nationalism. Trumpism and QAnon are its latest toxic sects.

I understand not all conservatives have fallen into the authoritarian dark side. A lot of them can see Trumpism threatens our democracy, decency, government and norms. I’m afraid they are a shrinking minority under the Party of Trump. The far Right has essentially taken the Republican Party, and recruited it into their open war on our elections and democracy.

Let it be clear, and let's take their word for it. The radical far Right claims to be conservative. Neo-fascism and racism are dominant forces in the new conservatism.

I would hope this would induce rational, honest and decent conservatives to prefer to be called moderates. Many are doing just that.

Bush and Cheney, and now Trump and the alt-Right, have exposed the lie behind the conservative trappings of "values", personal responsibility, honesty, decency, kindness, compassion, and fairness. 

None of these are essential to conservatism. Wealth, power and control are all that matter.

 

The Four "R's"

 

It’s simple, really.

The Four "R's" of Republican Party propaganda and ideological control are Religion, Rifles, Racism, and Resentment. 

Triggering and manipulating these emotional hot buttons among uneducated, uninformed and misinformed Americans is the key to Republican power.

First they convince them they are being wronged and ignored, and tell them who to blame. The "others". Minorities, liberals. Democrats, Blacks, Mexicans, Muslims, journalists, educators, scientists, socialists, commies, etc. (All eventually heaped into the latter two "others".) 

An instilled sense of victimhood bonds and unites them against the "others". Nationalism restores pride and identity.

Next the opposition is demonized as hating freedom, or even America itself. They invoke inflated "threats to liberty" and loss of safety, Fearing the others is critical.

Then they will point to "moral decay" (typically ethnic or urban in nature), and say "Our values are under attack". Moral superiority must be certain, as loathing the others is justified.

Finally they offer protection with a moralistic veneer. "Law and order", "national security" and "freedom of religion" (Christian only) are nobly defended, and graciously offered to salve their anxieties. 

It works. 

Fear, lies and ignorance are as contagious as covid, and have built a massive cult.

It gets Republicans enough votes to significantly advance the far Right’s agenda, which is to undermine democracy, and to dismantle Constitutional taxes, Constitutional regulation of commerce and Constitutional provision for the general welfare.  

And they have won spectacularly. Never mind it has resulted in the pandemic deaths of thousands of Americans due to negligence and outright malfeasance.

It has resulted in expanding obscene levels of private wealth and corporate dominance of our government They have their theocratic, corporate-owned Supreme Court, as they arrogantly wage open warfare on our elections. 

That's all they have ever cared about. 

Words They Avoid

 

The far Right and its conservative Trump Republicans, being conservative Trump Republicans, are easily identified by their rhetoric. Their words of resentment, anger, blame, and hatred loudly convey lies, racism, and outright delusional extremism. 

Conversely they are also identifiable by their avoidance of certain words, terms and phrases.

There are some significant words that are nearly totally absent from their vocabulary. Many are clearly excluded from Trump’s boast, “I have the best words”. I’m trying in vain to recall the times I’ve seen or heard certain words and terms from the far Right.

We’ve certainly seen their reactions when others mention their forbidden words.

Let’s review some of the least mentioned words, terms, and phrases from the far Right conservative Trump Republicans.

~~~~~

Democracy: The first to spring up is democracy. “Democracy” is the unspoken name of their most feared demon and mortal enemy. They show us every day how little use they have for that word. “America isn’t a democracy! The Founders said it was dangerous!” 

Equality: Equality is the second rarest word in the cult bubble of the radical Right. They want none of that. “Who sez them gays, Mexicans, Muslims, and urban Blacks are EQUAL to us rural whites?? Not in MY Amerka!”

Progress. “Can’t have that. Sounds too progressive.”

Community. “Nope, because Communism.”

Social Security. (Mentioned only to dismantle or privatize.)

Social Justice. “More Communism. Look! Rioters!”

Social Responsibility. “That’s as commie as social justice. Socialist losers wear masks.”

Personal Responsibility. (Pre-covid self-righteousness.) “Masks violate our rights! Let’s party at the bar, gather at church the next day, and take the whole family to Grandma’s for Thanksgiving.”

Society. “No such thing. Another commie notion.”

Unity: “Unity is for losers, not tough loners who built America all by themselves.”

Pollution/Polluters. “Quick, look over there! Antifa!”

Truth. “Alternative facts” are preferred. As Giuliani said “Truth isn’t truth”.

Evidence. “Schmevidence.”

Documentation. “Fake news!”

Journalism. “Enemy of the people”.

Global Warming. “Sunspots. Fake science. Not MY problem.”

Scientific Consensus. “Non-existent.” "Needs more study." (Or whatever fossil energy corporations pay for.)

White Collar Crime. “Look over there! BLM Looters!”

The Right to Vote. “A threat to our power. Our duty is to obstruct and deny this for minorities.”

Police Brutality. “Extremely rare.” And, “Bad cops are always punished fairly.”

Institutional Racism. “BLM are the real racists.”

White Nationalism. “No such thing!" "I am a Western Chauvinist, and I refuse to apologize for creating the modern world.”*

American Bar Association Qualified Judges. “Corporate-friendly, political and theocratic correctness only. Ideological purity is all that matters”.

Higher Education. “Marxist indoctrination!”

Medicare. “Commie free stuff.”

The Right to Public Healthcare: “Insurance company profits matter more than the people’s health.”

The Right to Public Education: “More commie brainwashing. Corporate charter schools or religious education only.”

Everything Jesus said about the rich, paying taxes, loving your neighbor, and giving to the poor. “Jesus sent Trump to save America! If you don’t vote for Trump, you’re not a Christain!”

Constitutional taxes, regulation of commerce, and provision for the general welfare. “It’s all Communism! Not in MY Second Amendment Only Constitution.”

Last but not least, Compassion. This is a theme that is obviously connected to too many of those other words to be avoided above. 

* White Nationalist “Proud Boys” initiation oath.

~~~~~

Good faith dialogue and compromise are shut down because these terms are ignored. When not ignored, they are arrogantly re-defined to conform to their radical Right bias.

They bought the Big Lie and believed their Big MAGAt when he said, “Just remember, what you are seeing and what you are reading is not what's happening.” 

The Big MAGAt became Big Brother, as predicted by George Orwell in “1984”:  “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command...And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed—if all records told the same tale—then the lie passed into history and became truth.”

How could anyone possibly reason with them? Are we under an Orwellian curse? “The very concept of objective truth is fading out of the world. Lies will pass into history.”

Can a semblance of conservative ethics and honesty ever be restored? Or have these values been permanently sacrificed at the altar of the Trump Cult?

Orwell grimly concluded, "A generation of the unteachable is hanging upon us like a necklace of corpses."

He understood the destruction of language is a powerful propaganda tactic and method of control by a dictatorship. In 1984, O’Brien of the Thought Police explains to Winston Smith between torture sessions, “It’s a beautiful thing, the destruction of words...Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought?”

“Narrow the range of thought.” 

This seems to summarize the creed and operating principle of the far Right and its conservative Trump Republicans.

Credit is due. A vast gullible cult proves they have succeeded beyond their wildest expectations.

Fed Up

 The Republican Party is the greatest threat to the Republic. 

The Trump Reich hates the same people and principles Hitler's Third Reich hated.

I can't stand intolerance.

I despise hatred.

I'm biased against bigots.

Angry people piss me off.

Anybody got a problem with that?

The Party of Trump

The loser of the presidential election tweeted: “I WON THE ELECTION!”

No, he didn’t. This is just another fascist Big Lie. 

This deluge of extremist lies started decades ago with angry accusations of "liberal media", that soon morphed into, "Liberals hate America" and racist birtherism.

And speaking of jackboot-style fascism, we recall “Second Amendment remedies” were invoked by Republicans when Obama was president.

Then came the rallies, with hateful chants of, "Lock her up!"

In 2016 Trump suggested,"Second Amendment people" could "do" something about Hillary Clinton.

Last year Trump boasted, "I can tell you I have the support of the police, the support of the military, the support of the Bikers for Trump – I have the tough people, but they don’t play it tough — until they go to a certain point, and then it would be very bad, very bad."

After Trump tweeted, “LIBERATE MICHIGAN”, MAGA terrorists plotted to kidnap and kill the governor of Michigan.

Sunday night, in response to Governor Whitmer’s new covid safety protocols, Trump’s pandemic “advisor” Scott Atlas tweeted: “The only way this stops is if people rise up. You get what you accept. #FreedomMatters #StepUp” 

Dr. Mengele wasn't the last evil medical doctor. 

They are now reptilian Republicans.

Let's be clear. All of these Republicans are instigating terrorism, and party leadership will not condemn these remarks.

The term Stochastic Terrorism best describes the far Right/Republican incitement of political violence:

Stochastic Terrorism was first noted here: 1. The use of mass communication to incite random actors to carry out violent or terrorist acts that are statistically predictable but individually unpredictable. 2. Remote-control murder by lone wolf.

And Dictionary.com says Stochastic Terrorism is: the public demonization of a person or group resulting in the incitement of a violent act, which is statistically probable but whose specifics cannot be predicted:The lone-wolf attack was apparently influenced by the rhetoric of stochastic terrorism.

Lest anyone assume I’m exaggerating the threat of Trump’s stochastic terrorism, ABC News found 54 cases invoking Trump in connection with violence, threats, and alleged assaults.

This is the American Right today.

The Party of Trump:

 

No bar too low.

No lie too big.

No heart too cold.

No mind too small.

No hate too intense.

 

Every elected Republican is an enemy of truth, democracy and equality. Fascism is the only possible endgame behind their authoritarian contempt for these values.

A Beautiful Day

It's a beautiful day for democracy! Corporate media, including FOX(R), have finally made the call for Biden.

Remember the MAGAts gloating, "Make them cry again"?

Who's crying now?

The jury of American voters is finally having its final impeachment votes counted. We the People “hereby claim” Trump as the LOSER. He will be removed from office.

Let’s celebrate our limited victory, but be clear in this perspective.

We need to understand the Right will never stop their voter suppression. They will never surrender in their war on democracy. Fascism is always lurking in the resentments and anger of white nationalism. Corporate interests will always try to dominate our government. Hatred and division will always be stoked by Republicans and the far Right. As long as the Senate is controlled by Republicans we will have nothing close to a representative republic.

"Consent of the governed" is in the Declaration of Independence. The founders blew it with their compromise with slave states that produced the electoral college. Alexander Hamilton was prophetically correct in the Federalist Papers #22 when he condemned the inequality of the Senate:

The right of equal suffrage among the States is another exceptionable part of the Confederation. Every idea of proportion and every rule of fair representation conspire to condemn a principle, which gives to Rhode Island an equal weight in the scale of power with Massachusetts, or Connecticut, or New York; and to Delaware an equal voice in the national deliberations with Pennsylvania, or Virginia, or North Carolina. Its operation contradicts the fundamental maxim of republican government, which requires that the sense of the majority should prevail.

American democracy was hobbled from the beginning by a template for minority rule.

Yes, the Declaration of Independence called for "consent of the governed", but that "went south" from the get-go. The founders assured we wouldn't have an equitable, representative democratic republic when they imposed the undemocratic electoral college and the highly unrepresentative and imbalanced Senate.

Those ill-conceived notions along with slavery have become a long time curse on our nation that haunts us to this day.

The enemies of democracy are not defeated. Economic royalists with their corruption and reactionary politics will not disappear after Trump moves from the White House to prison or Moscow.

The warning about Hitler from Bertold Brecht still applies: "Don't yet rejoice in his defeat, you men! Although the world stood up and stopped the bastard, the bitch that bore him is in heat again.”

We need to be as unrelenting in defense of democracy as the Right is in dismantling it.

Our struggle against the enemies of democracy, domestic fascism, and radical Right terrorism will be our longest war.

Democracy’s Last Stand?

On this last weekend before the 2020 election, I have collected some of my more relevant comments, tweets, notions and commotions that apply to what may well be Democracy’s Last Stand.

First I want to discuss what is and isn’t on the ballot.

Yes, what’s left of democracy is on the ballot. We have the chance to diminish the party of corporate elites and polluters, and remove an authoritarian narcissistic sociopath from the White House. Being a tyrannical autocrat and sociopath makes him a very dangerous enemy to democracy and equality. In addition to these characteristics his racism and white nationalism don’t reveal much daylight between him and the fascists of the 20th Century.

We can vote out a totally corrupt party that has been actively waging war on democracy and equality. “Profit over people” is a warped priority that needs to be taken out of national, state, and local politics. The Republican Party’s suppression of voter rights is in itself a path to fascism.

What ISN’T on the ballot is Marxism, communism, or socialism, or even democratic socialism.

Anyone who screams “Marxism”, “socialism” and “communism” at Democrats or progressives has no idea what they are talking about, or they are a liar.

The historical background behind the warped perspective of American conservatism is not surprising. Their paranoid and delusional notions of “socialism” are traceable back to Southern white resentments after the Civil War, to conservative anger over FDR’s New Deal, and Social Security and Medicare. The word “socialism” was in use before Karl Marx developed his ideas for the “Communist Manifesto”.

“The term ‘socialism’ first appeared in November 1827 in the Co-Operative Magazine, an organ of the Association of London Co-operative Unions, and became generally used in the 1830s.”

Modern American democratic socialism is basically the same thing that was summed up in an old Republican notion. A government of, by, and for the people. It’s never been about Marxist government ownership of all land, property, industry, manufacturing, and agriculture. We just don’t want our national forests and public lands to be untaxed corporate assets for strip mining and clear cutting. Conservation and environmental stewardship for future generations are not communism. They are principles that value the natural world and human life and well being.

We don’t want unaccountable polluters and corporate and banking elites buying the government and writing the laws of our land. We want healthcare as a basic right, not a profit generating machine to fill the pockets of insurance company CEOs and shareholders.

Democratic socialism bears no resemblance to a one-party communist dictatorship. Only a cult brainwashed by fascists would believe such nonsense.

Democratic socialism is what we envision and propose for a government that works for the people, not the powerful. We cannot allow the radical Right to define democratic socialism. They will lie.

 “The wide range of interpretations and definitions of socialism across the political spectrum, and the lack of a common understanding of what socialism is or how it looks in practice reflects its complicated evolution.”

Democratic socialism is about we the people, not we the states, or we the corporations. It is about fair elections and proportional representation. It’s about a government that works for the public good, not for corporate profits. Only fair elections can rectify the imbalance of power held by economic elites over our governments and public policy.

We need to remember the Electoral College that undermines our democracy exists only because it was a compromise by the founders to bring the slave states into the new nation.

Southern white conservatism has always been a drag on the soul of the country.

Being a tyrannical autocrat, and sociopath makes Trump a very dangerous enemy to democracy and equality. In addition to these characteristics, his racism and white nationalism don’t reveal much daylight between him and the fascists of the 20th Century. The Republican Party’s war on voter rights is in itself a path to fascism.

If Trump is given a pass by voters, HE will become a far worse fascist. And the gate will still be wide open for the next one. Our Hitler must not be made chancellor/fuhrer.

The Dear Leader says if he loses, that means the election is rigged. What retaliation does he and his armed mob of thugs have in mind when he loses? The cult is either too blind to see, or just doesn't care. This is a blatant threat to our democracy.

America's worst president will soon be its sorest loser. If there's any justice he'll go to prison, like fellow traitor Jefferson Davis. Prison or not, his cult will be furious, and he will instigate more far Right terrorism. I hate American Nazis.

Trump and his cult are proof that truth and democracy have essentially expired as conservative American values. Now they are fascists. Yesterday a caravan of Trump-flagged vehicles swarmed a Biden campaign bus on I-35 outside Austin Texas.

One of them swerved into a Democrat's escort vehicle. This is terrorism inspired by Trump, and promoted by Trump. Along with gloating about it at a rally, he tweeted a video of his thugs' terrorism proclaiming, "I LOVE TEXAS".

Did I say I hate American Nazis?

Then there's the final Trump Conservative debate point: "I don’t have to listen to you. I know more about what you think than you do, and I know it is bad. I know all I need to know. I don’t care about your journalists, educators, scientists, doctors, logic, facts and evidence. And I don’t answer questions."

Just don’t call them stupid.

Woman Trump Supporter upset over Hunter Biden:

“That’s right. Nepotism needs to be looked into big time.”

Jordan Klepper: “Yes! What do you think of Ivanka?”

Woman Trump Supporter: “Oh, she’s so gracious!”

Republicans have been waging war on democracy since Reagan adviser Paul Weyrich said, “We don’t want everybody to vote. When everybody votes we lose.”

Christian Trump voters: How does Trump follow the teachings of Jesus? Are giving tax cuts to the rich, and cutting food stamps for the poor what Jesus wants? What did Jesus say about taxes and the rich? Why does Jesus want us to vote for a hateful liar and servant of mammon?

All Republicans are enemies of democracy and equality. Every Republican needs to be defeated for anything resembling democracy and equality to survive.

The US is between a rock and a hard place. As long as there are Republicans, they will wage war against democracy and equality. As long as Democrats are bound by corporate tethers, they will never suppress the Right's expanding fascism.

Without authoritarian personalities, racists, bigots, idiots and greedheads, Trump’s base would melt into insignificance.

Understand this reality: Conservative Republicans are convinced that they cannot win by fair elections, facts and reason. They will not abandon conservatism. They will reject fair elections, facts and reason. Conservatism requires none of these. Voter suppression IS American conservatism.

Authoritarian followers vote for authoritarian leaders. How can we know they are authoritarians? They vote for the leader who threatens to imprison opponents and says, “Knock the crap out of them. I will pay the legal fees.”

 

And:

 

Elections, taxes, regulation of commerce, and provision for the general welfare are in the Constitution. If the Founders didn’t like socialism and democracy, why did they put them in the Constitution?