Unleashing The Ugly
Conservatism, like Dr. Jekyll, has undergone an ugly transformation. Those who claim that mantle these days say they stand for liberty. However, they have long forgotten Edmund Burke’s caveat: “But what is liberty without wisdom, and without virtue? It is the greatest of all possible evils; for it is folly, vice, and madness, without tuition or restraint.”
And, on the subject of restraint, they have also forgotten Burke’s dictum: “I have never yet seen any plan which has not been mended by the observations of those who were much inferior in understanding to the person who took the lead in the business.”
Instead, they have turned to Ayn Rand, who confidently proclaimed: “If any civilization is to survive, it is the morality of altruism that men have to reject.” For Rand, selfishness was a virtue. The central problem each human being faced, she wrote, was simple: “The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.”
And these days, the question of who is going to stop me is particularly important when one considers the problem of truth telling. In Canada, Stephen Harper’s Conservatives have implied that Irwin Cotler — who made an international reputation helping Soviet Jews emigrate to Israel — is a closet Anti-Semite.
In the United States, Newt Gingrich has accused Barack Obama of being “the best food stamp president in history.” Mitt Romney has resorted to a flat out falsehood:
“President Obama believes that government should create equal outcomes. In an entitlement society, everyone receives the same or similar rewards, regardless of education, effort and willingness to take risk. That which is earned by some is redistributed to the others. And the only people who truly enjoy any real rewards are those who do the redistributing — the government.”
Presumably, that is why Wall Street and General Motors have recovered so nicely — and why corporations are sitting on so much cash.
The simple truth is that today’s Conservatives are not conservatives. They are radical libertarians, who have unleashed some ugly demons. It’s time for truth in advertising.
21 Responses to “Unleashing The Ugly”
Amen! I’m constantly assailed by libertarians on my own moderate blog. (They have me pegged as a lefty, of course, because I suggest that we need to tip our off-balance boat from the right to the center.) What I find really appalling is the unapologetic bombast of these new conservative militants. They come at you with both fists swinging. William F. Buckley would be turning in his grave.
That seems like an odd accusation, considering that the old guard is fighting against against it’s younger libertarian wing with all it’s might. Do you think that war is now a libertarian concept?
-[That which is earned by some is redistributed to the others. And the only people who truly enjoy any real rewards are those who do the redistributing the government]-Romney
Like Romney has ever “risked” enough to change his lifestyle if he loses. Those that bet the bank every week lose everything if they lose and if you work for a living you bet the bank!
cont.
You bet that “your” company will succeed and share the wealth if they do, You bet that some jerk won’t find a reason to fire you just because he don’t like your face, You bet that they won’t fire you instead of laying you off so they don’t have to pay their part of the unemployment compensation, You bet that “your” employer will faithfully deal with you regarding workman’s comp claims if you are injured, You bet “your” company won’t be sold off and all “your” pay and benefits amended to crapolla post with, You bet that “your” company retirement agreed too will actually be their when you are old.
cont.
We ALL are risking Romney and WE the working people RISK MORE and risk it MORE OFTEN than you EVER DID!
“The simple truth is that today’s Conservatives are not conservatives. They are radical libertarians, who have unleashed some ugly demons. It’s time for truth in advertising.”
Unlike Dems, there are still different shades of gray under the Rep. banner. When you don’t like the other team it is always helpful to lump and criticize them in a one size, one shade, argument.
You might note that some of the Reps here on TMV have criticized Cain, Gingrich, Paul, Bachman, and Santorum. Are we different from the main-stream Reps, or representative of it and not “radical libertarians”.
duck,
You’ll notice that I didn’t use the term “Republicans.” I’d still like to think there are conservative, moderate and liberal Republicans.
My quarrel is with folks who call themselves “conservatives.” I maintain that a large number of them are not familiar with “conservatism” as Burke defined it. Instead, they take their inspiration from Ayn Rand — who was no conservative.
Unfortunately, most Republicans seem to define themselves as “conservatives.” They would be healthier if they had more moderates and liberals inside their tent.
OG, Yes, I agree with you, but nowadays some people (Dems) automatically conflate Reps with “conservatives”. Aren’t all Dems liberals?
No, duck. Remember the “blue dogs?” There have always been conservative Democrats — in fact, there was a time when conservative Democrats occupied most of the Senate seats from the South — just as there used to be liberal Republican senators, like Edward Brooke from Massachusetts or Mark Hatfield from Oregon.
Once upon a time, political parties were “big tents,” with members who represented a broad swath of opinion.
That was particularly true of Democrats. It was Will Rogers who said, “I am a member of no organized political party. I’m a Democrat.”
OK, I got it. In the “old” days there were all kinds of differences in both parties. Not so much now.
“The simple truth is that today’s Conservatives are not conservatives. They are radical libertarians, who have unleashed some ugly demons. It’s time for truth in advertising.”
True dat. This is why I almost always use quotation marks when I use the word, “conservative” (and have been doing it for several years). I could probably do the same with the word, “liberal” as well, since they’ve abandon much of the traditional liberal bent and are more conservative lite.
Absolutely true, JS. The “big tents” have shrunk. Ideological purity has become the price of admission to both parties.
Ayn Rand was also not a libertarian, and was quite hostile to the entire movement.
Libertarians do not endorse corporate welfare, or the loss of civil liberties like the Patriot act and NDAA, or war, or the war on drugs.
We may not be Democrats, who also support all of those things, but we’re not Republicans either.
I agree,Prof, that Rand was not a libertarian. She called her philosophy — if that’s the word — “objectivism.”
And, given what have become the central tenets of the modern Republican Party, Ron Paul is the most honest of the presidential contenders.
My point is simply that the candidates who call themselves “conservatives” are not what they claim to be. Those who truly believe in libertarianism should have the courage to say so.
OG, said: “My point is simply that the candidates who call themselves “conservatives” are not what they claim to be. Those who truly believe in libertarianism should have the courage to say so.”
Perhaps to make it clearer, aside from Paul, please provide example(s) of another candidate(s) “libertarian” beliefs.
BTW: some “conservatives” and “liberals”, and the rest of us, hold beliefs from the other side. (Provide your own examples.) As I don’t consider myself a “conservative”, I can’t say my pro-choice and anti-gun positions qualify but I like the ideas of smaller government and effective regulation, living within our means, and lower taxes.
In the end we have to hold our noses and vote.
When is the last time any conservative in a position of power actually supported that?
“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man’s oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.”
John Kenneth Galbraith
“The trouble with liberals, is they are too liberal.”
Unknown
While the ultra-conservatives seem to agree with libertarians on some economic issues, they don’t agree at all on many social and foreign policies. The OP sells libertarians short and mischaracterizes both conservatives and libertarians.
“mischaracterizes”, wait a minute only Reps can do that, or is that called “trying to equate”.
Labels, don’t you love em, they come in so handy.
Labels may be unfair at times, but they are needed in order to sort out situations. If I don’t call the building in which I live a ‘house’, then how can I distinguish it from a ‘barn’?
Look for cow flop.