Let me start by saying that conservatism is not inherently megative. But contemporary conservatism, as it stands today, this very moment, is extremely detrimental to the integrity of the American political sphere. Cotemporary conservatism only succeeds at flaunting the fact that it out-lived its utility. Conservatives need to look back to their ideology's Civil-War era roots.
Case in point: John McCain. Mr McCain has a history of being a rational and individual face in a crowd of copies and schizophrenics. He was a favorite of the opposing party; not to make fun of, but of genuine respect. But this has changed, and I hope it is a change that is not permanent. Once a critic of political pandering to fringe groups and a muckraker into the cancer haunting the Republican party, the Non-Conformist, Rational Politician has fallen into the footsoldier parade. Two years ago he spoke to students at unLiberty University, founded by "agent of intolerance" Jerry Falwell. And this week, on an appearance on the Daily Show, he avoided questions no one else would even ask, such as the nature of Patriotism and what it means1.
Yesterday, David Brooks, an arch-conservative, wrote an editorial railing his party on this front2.
Something incredible has happened to swallow even John McCain. It is safe to say that organizing this Bolshevikian unthinking lockstepping has begun since the end of Reagan era.
Brooks states that they made Reagan into a simplistic myth, which I think is also what most Christians (moderates included) did to Jesus, and neither of them were simplistic. Mythification has great consequences.
On social policy, any shift in ideology on the front of private life (family, sex, etc) is met with swift and fierce opposition by Focus on the Family.
To oversimplify, the Republican Party has become merely the WASP/C-BB Party. [White Anglo-Saxon Protestant/Catholic-Big-Business/Brother]
The Republican party has dehumanized itself and very much embodied Ayn Rand's novels (represented by Peter Keating, Ellsworth Toohey, and James Taggart) reducing itself to a shapeless vague form, and John McCain's interview with Jon Stewart mentioned earlier is a perfect example of what I am saying.
Conservatism was traditionally pro-small-government, personal responsibility and minimum government spending. Under Bush II, I see none of those values or ideals.
While David Brooks and the Republicans I know recognize the Republican party for what it has become and now is, it will take a number of defeats and colossal failures (even at the expense of the public) for invertebrates to be broken and John McCain to return to his former self. Perhaps he might emerge as the most influential member of his party once he learns from this extremely costly experiment in group psychology.
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Something terrible is happening. Let me write down the score:
-Lying about Iraq
-Valerie Plame ousting, Libby is a meat shield for Rove & Cheney
-Firing of Republican lawyers for "doing too good of a job" at prosecuting corrupt politicians3.
-Alberto Gonzales' short-term memory.
It seems a piece of the puzzle drops on our lap every few weeks. The aim is disturbingly clear. Thoreau's sentiment of democracy being used against the people is truth here. We have enough pieces of the puzzle to know what the picture is, but I don't think its complete. I cannot recall any other time in American history where a presidential administration have acted so deliberately against public interest and against the ideals for which this nation was intended to stand.
What we have yet to see is how many of this President's actions are irreparable.
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Works Cited:
1. Channel 13 around 6:00-7:00 EST: Bill Moyers Journal; Interview with Jon Stewart. on PBS
2. Brooks, David "Grim Old Party" New York Times. April 29 2007
3 Ibid; Bill Moyers speaks to professional independent bloggers on the Alberto Gonzales scandal.
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