what could be wrong with conservatism

[Full Quiver]

What possibly could be bad about conservatism? Are there any bad qualities to the mindset?

Indulge me Tim, please.

[Tim Elston]

What possibly could be bad about conservatism? Are there any bad qualities to the mindset?

Indulge me Tim, please.

What a wonderful question. I'd like to see if there are any other conservative takers first. The best conservatism, of course, is the kind that is ambivalently so, that is self critical with respect to the virtues of other positions--or, with respect to merely virtue itself.

[dolfan]

I'll bite.

Conservatism as it exists today in practice -- bad things:

1. Big government. Conservatives have been on a spending spree for YEARS. They've expanded the police powers of the federal government to previously unknown heights.


2. Unfunded mandates. Although the Gingrich Congress passed legislation in 1995 that outlawed them, Bush and Republicans continued them. Case in point, an insidious one, is the Real ID Act, which when forced on states to comply, is causing states to jack up fees paid by working people for things such as drivers' licenses, tags, etc. You haven't seen the full evil of this law yet and won't for some time. See Entry #1, "Big Government".

3. Inability to govern. Conservatives campaign well, oppose less well, and flat out can't govern for long at a time. It seems against the natural order of our modern history for conservatives to hold the majority of offices in the federal government. The American people may be traditional by and large, but they are not conservative politically and the arguments advanced by conservatism have failed to sway the American people and American institutions enough to move its ideas into practice. Therefore, conservatives either move toward fascism or bungle themselves out of office.

[Pastor Gary]

Conservatism has no cohesive inspiring message, no banner under which Americans can unite.

Conservatives are AGAINST abortion, AGAINST gay marriage, AGAINST illegal immigration... but what do conservatives stand FOR?

Obama and the liberal Democrats stayed on message: hope, change, progress all may sound like empty catch-phrase platitudes that can't be quantified, but they hammered that message consistently and it resonated with the electorate while conservatives passed email rumors doubting Obama's religion, his birth certificate's validity and his patriotism. All that did was fuel the crazy fringe of the rightest of the right wing who spread even more spurious accusations and subtly racist jokes and cartoons. America rejected that as foolishness and rightly so.

Nobody cared about William Ayers, a Muslim elementary school in Indonesia or any other rumor, when there was no message behind it all.

[rjjunior]

Your responses so far seem to answer "What's wrong with current Republicanism?" rather than "What's wrong with conservatism?" i.e. big government and unfunded mandates are not conservative.

I think he's looking for what's wrong with the ideology, not what's wrong with those who claim to be conservative and are not.

My input as a conservative?
Conservatism's "individual freedom" as a mindset can have a tendency to lean too much toward selfishness and not help those in need. (It can also be criticized by those on the left as inconsistent when it comes to social issues.)

"Free interprise" (a conservative principle) can take on an "ends justifies the means" mentality.

[dolfan]

I'm not sure conservatism exists outside of the way it is practiced politically.

Let's just get to the nut of it. The things that are most despised about "conservatism" are pro-life, anti-homosexuality, and low taxes. The things most passionately defended by conservatives are those very issues. Which proves my own theory that sex and money make the world go around.

[forestwalker]

What possibly could be bad about conservatism? Are there any bad qualities to the mindset?

To the mindset, no. There's no better way to live one's life. Speaking politically, though, it's an empty word, like "change" or "progress". We're better served by rejecting it and using words (in our own minds and circles at least--we have to be able to communicate in the wider world) that carry actual meaning and aren't corrupted by electoral politics.

[Gerald Creasy]

Your responses so far seem to answer "What's wrong with current Republicanism?" rather than "What's wrong with conservatism?" i.e. big government and unfunded mandates are not conservative.

I was about to say the same thing. What passes for conservatism today was once embraced by the Democratic party.


I believe the Republican party is disfunctional to the point of ineptness.

[Tim Elston]

We can think of conservatism both as something concrete and as something abstract. I think highly of conservatism in the abstract. I think highly of liberalism in the abstract, too.

The problems with liberalism lie in how it is actually manifested politically and socially. Well, lo and behold, it's at the concrete level that conservatism has its faults, too. This is where it can be criticised. Whoever found something in a perfect ideal to criticize? Perfect ideals like conservatism and liberalism are beyond criticism. But conservatism and liberalism as they actually occur are not. So, I level my criticism at conservatism as it is actually practised.

Conservatism is often resistant to change where change is warranted. Can anyone in COGOP say, "TCOG"?

Conservatism is often murderously nationalistic. Can anyone say, "Serbian nationalism"?

Conservatism often compartmentalizes its interests from its compassion. Can anyone from the 1970s say, "Fag"?

Conservatism often dehumanizes people to cope with fear. Can anyone say, "All Muslims are terrorists"?

Conservatism is often too easily manipulated. Can anyone say, "Lee Atwater"?

Conservatism is often hateful. Can anyone say, "Matthew Shephard"?

Conservatism is often anti-intellectual. Can anyone say, "Pointy-headed professor"?

Conservatism is often partisan. Can anyone say, "All Democrats are evil"?

Conservatism is often paranoid. Can anyone say, "November 4, 2008 --The Day America Died"?

Need I go on?

[Full Quiver]

bump for later and further discussion

[Tim Elston]

bump for later and further discussion

ouch

[Full Quiver]

Sorry but I had not replied yet.

The GOP is not the conservative party as they would like to portray. What the GOP does brings condemnation on conservatism because they do what they do under such a guise.

I am not sure that true conservatism has any negatives.