Death of Conservatism

Bill Moyers Journal . Home | PBS

very interesting interview about true conservatism vs the radical voices of today...

direct link -

Bill Moyers Journal . Sam Tanenhaus | PBS


The republican party has, in some ways, become more like the democrat party in this respect - they've become a party where the extremist side now has a much louder voice, which is unfortunate. I think the silent majority of true conservatives are watching all this, scratching their heads, and wondering where this'll all end up.

"Republican", when I was younger represented the party of level headedness and embodied the nostalgic Constitutional principals seen as having made this country great. I don't see much of this anymore in the republican party today. I'm sure it's still there, it just seems to have been drowned out. A perfect example, the other day I heard John Boehner complaing about how the democrats were cutting payments to Medicare. I just had to chuckle at that - he's complaining about democrats reducing the size of an entitlement program, potentially making it something people rely less on? Does Boehner actually consider himself a conservative? Because he certainly doesn't sound like one.

The party seems to have lost sight of it's principals, or maybe the principals have changed. It's clearly not Reagan's party anymore, it's something else. I think Reagan would be appauled by some of the extremist views some "conservatives" currently promote. I just have to hope the party recovers from this, and regains it's footing, because I am finding it harder to support the party in general. Thirty years ago proclaiming myself as a republican was something to be proud of. Not so much anymore.

direct link -

Bill Moyers Journal . Sam Tanenhaus | PBS


The republican party has, in some ways, become more like the democrat party in this respect - they've become a party where the extremist side now has a much louder voice, which is unfortunate. I think the silent majority of true conservatives are watching all this, scratching their heads, and wondering where this'll all end up.

"Republican", when I was younger represented the party of level headedness and embodied the nostalgic Constitutional principals seen as having made this country great. I don't see much of this anymore in the republican party today. I'm sure it's still there, it just seems to have been drowned out. A perfect example, the other day I heard John Boehner complaing about how the democrats were cutting payments to Medicare. I just had to chuckle at that - he's complaining about democrats reducing the size of an entitlement program, potentially making it something people rely less on? Does Boehner actually consider himself a conservative? Because he certainly doesn't sound like one.

The party seems to have lost sight of it's principals, or maybe the principals have changed. It's clearly not Reagan's party anymore, it's something else. I think Reagan would be appauled by some of the extremist views some "conservatives" currently promote. I just have to hope the party recovers from this, and regains it's footing, because I am finding it harder to support the party in general. Thirty years ago proclaiming myself as a republican was something to be proud of. Not so much anymore.

I think you are right. In one of my posts the other day I asked where is the next Bill Buckley...the Moyers interview talks about the void his passing has left.

When the radicals would get out of hand in the past, Buckley drew the line -- now, it's like the teacher is out of the classroom and the rowdys have taken over and the rest of the class is overwhelmed and afraid to do anything.

So many times in the last year of so, I have said to myself: I do not believe that that elected official really believes that--why is he or she saying it, or letting it be said without rebuttal...I think our whole country suffers without a strong two party system. But, we need principled men and women who will stand up for what they believe in an intelligent, civil manner.

We also need real journalists--not promoters who are willing to inflame anything just to up the ratings! And, we need more people to educate themselves about what is really going on, before they react to it.

What we are getting right now is not principled or civil or real in my opinion...but it sure is reactive!

I think you are right. In one of my posts the other day I asked where is the next Bill Buckley...the Moyers interview talks about the void his passing has left.

When the radicals would get out of hand in the past, Buckley drew the line -- now, it's like the teacher is out of the classroom and the rowdys have taken over and the rest of the class is overwhelmed and afraid to do anything.

So many times in the last year of so, I have said to myself: I do not believe that that elected official really believes that--why is he or she saying it, or letting it be said without rebuttal...I think our whole country suffers without a strong two party system. But, we need principled men and women who will stand up for what they believe in an intelligent, civil manner.

We also need real journalists--not promoters who are willing to inflame anything just to up the ratings! And, we need more people to educate themselves about what is really going on, before they react to it.

What we are getting right now is not principled or civil or real in my opinion...but it sure is reactive!

That's the big problem right there - no leadership.

I think you are right. In one of my posts the other day I asked where is the next Bill Buckley...the Moyers interview talks about the void his passing has left.

When the radicals would get out of hand in the past, Buckley drew the line -- now, it's like the teacher is out of the classroom and the rowdys have taken over and the rest of the class is overwhelmed and afraid to do anything.

So many times in the last year of so, I have said to myself: I do not believe that that elected official really believes that--why is he or she saying it, or letting it be said without rebuttal...I think our whole country suffers without a strong two party system. But, we need principled men and women who will stand up for what they believe in an intelligent, civil manner.

We also need real journalists--not promoters who are willing to inflame anything just to up the ratings! And, we need more people to educate themselves about what is really going on, before they react to it.

What we are getting right now is not principled or civil or real in my opinion...but it sure is reactive!

GW, I think we were thinking on the same wave length a week ago: The Independent Florida Alligator: Opinion - Republicans lack intellectual figures

Romney defends record as Huckabee wins straw poll - CNN.com this is the route to down home southern style defeat

GW, I think we were thinking on the same wave length a week ago: The Independent Florida Alligator: Opinion - Republicans lack intellectual figures

Of course: great minds, and all that


Good job on the column! Thanks for posting it. How's the semester going?

GW, I think we were thinking on the same wave length a week ago: The Independent Florida Alligator: Opinion - Republicans lack intellectual figures

Excellent Matt!


.

Of course: great minds, and all that


Good job on the column! Thanks for posting it. How's the semester going?

The semester has been pretty nice and easy up to this weekend when the workload finally kicked in. All in all, it's great to be a Florida Gator!

The semester has been pretty nice and easy up to this weekend when the workload finally kicked in. All in all, it's great to be a Florida Gator!

Chomp chomp! Have they asked you to be the guest picker in the Alligator-brand Picks Column? yet? Nice job on the column, btw.

and here's another view on the topic...

Commentary: Conservatism is far from dead - CNN.com

and here's another view on the topic...

Commentary: Conservatism is far from dead - CNN.com

My guess is that the democrats will learn this the hard way in 2010

and here's another view on the topic...

Commentary: Conservatism is far from dead - CNN.com

Great quote by Obama in there -

"What Reagan ushered in was a skepticism toward government solutions to every problem, a suspicion of command-and-control, top-down social engineering. I don't think that has changed. I think that's a lasting legacy of the Reagan era and the conservative movement, starting with Goldwater. But I do think [what we're seeing] is an end to the knee-jerk reaction toward the New Deal and big government."

I'm not so sure he was right about that last part though. There still seems to be a lot of skepticism toward anything "New Deal"ish. I'm certainly one of the folks that feels that way.

Great article by the way.

"The first reason is that conservatism taps into a basic anti-government ideology that has existed in the nation's political culture since the Revolution. Anti-government sentiment has ranged from opposition to federal taxation to an unwillingness to create strong centralized bureaucracies."

Exacery!

and here's another view on the topic...

Commentary: Conservatism is far from dead - CNN.com

I must be getting old, because the author of that article looks like he just graduated from high school.
A passage from the article:

The second reason that conservatism has survived the defeat at the polls in 2008 is that since its emergence in the 1970s, the conservative movement has focused on building a strong organizational infrastructure that could outlast any specific president or congressional majority.
Conservatives created new think tanks and expanded existing ones. They developed a vibrant network of grass-roots organizations that could quickly mobilize voters through tactics like direct mail. Conservatives established media outlets, starting with magazines and talk radio and extending into network television. During the 1990s, the right strengthened its ties to Washington-based interest groups that were able to exert pressure inside the Beltway and mount "Astroturf" operations back in the districts.
When conservatives have mobilized this summer in opposition to health care reform, they have been supported by this formidable infrastructure, most of which remains in place.
And, finally, the reality is that in American politics, institutions, policies and public opinion are always hard to change, regardless of whether a liberal or conservative is in the White House.

This is precisely why many former Republicans have distanced themselves from the party, including myself. The Rush Limbaugh's, the dirty direct mail tactics, the extreme grass roots organizations......They do not represent my idea of what a conservative is and there have not been any Conservative leaders that I found worthy yet of my support, with the exception of a select few. Even then, I start to see them vote along party lines, start to pander, and I get turned off.

What I have yet to see, and looking for, are Leaders who will attempt to undo the damage that started a decade ago with the Bush sovereignty, who in effect, made government bigger by controlling any policy and giving license to the Executive Branch to do whatever they wanted. In effect, this went against the grain of Conservatism and started it's downhill climb.

What I am waiting for is a Conservative intellectually able to see that at times, like the Great Recession, there is a need and balance for some government intervention. Someone willing to put themselves out on a limb and try to take the Party to a new level with bright ideas and concepts.

No, I do not think Conservatism is dead, but I do think that it will have to morph itself and pay the ransom of being kidnapped.

absolutely awesome piece Matt. thanks for sharing it with us - I can't tell you how refreshing it is to read something.. anything.. about politics that is realistically intelligent, focused on a relevant point without sarcastic stomping of someone into the ground.. so many opinion pieces we see in Blogs or newspapers are so smug and vitriolic while trying to be entertaining - I just can't read them anymore! please keep 'em coming.

I must be getting old, because the author of that article looks like he just graduated from high school. Then I read the article and realized he probably did--- with passages like this............
This is precisely why many former Republicans have distanced themselves from the party, including myself. The Rush Limbaugh's, the dirty direct mail tactics, the extreme grass roots organizations......They do not represent my idea of what a conservative is and there have not been any Conservative leaders that I found worthy yet of my support, with the exception of a select few. Even then, I start to see them vote along party lines, start to pander, and I get turned off.

What I have yet to see, and looking for, are Leaders who will attempt to undo the damage that started a decade ago with the Bush sovereignty, who in effect, made government bigger by controlling any policy and giving license to the Executive Branch to do whatever they wanted. In effect, this went against the grain of Conservatism and started it's downhill climb.

What I am waiting for is a Conservative intellectually able to see that at times, like the Great Recession, there is a need and balance for some government intervention. Someone willing to put themselves out on a limb and try to take the Party to a new level with new ideas and concepts.

No, I do not think Conservatism is dead, but I do think that it will have to morph itself and pay the ransom of being kidnapped.

that one sentence is key. to me we now have a party of ideas - democrats; and a party of anger (fueled by fear & war) - republicans. Obama ran on ideas - he still has a LOT of clean up to do before he can really start to be effective. I expect innovative thinking and vision to drive the Obama administration. That is the promise of the Democratic party. otherwise, we can kiss any real change goodbye. otherwise, we may as well get ready for another Dubya in the white house to keep us "grounded" with no progress whatsoever.

I must be getting old, because the author of that article looks like he just graduated from high school.
A passage from the article:
This is precisely why many former Republicans have distanced themselves from the party, including myself. The Rush Limbaugh's, the dirty direct mail tactics, the extreme grass roots organizations......They do not represent my idea of what a conservative is and there have not been any Conservative leaders that I found worthy yet of my support, with the exception of a select few. Even then, I start to see them vote along party lines, start to pander, and I get turned off.

What I have yet to see, and looking for, are Leaders who will attempt to undo the damage that started a decade ago with the Bush sovereignty, who in effect, made government bigger by controlling any policy and giving license to the Executive Branch to do whatever they wanted. In effect, this went against the grain of Conservatism and started it's downhill climb.

What I am waiting for is a Conservative intellectually able to see that at times, like the Great Recession, there is a need and balance for some government intervention. Someone willing to put themselves out on a limb and try to take the Party to a new level with bright ideas and concepts.

No, I do not think Conservatism is dead, but I do think that it will have to morph itself and pay the ransom of being kidnapped.

Exactly, Mango. This is this statement:

( The second reason that conservatism has survived the defeat at the polls in 2008 is that since its emergence in the 1970s, the conservative movement has focused on building a strong organizational infrastructure that could outlast any specific president or congressional majority.

Conservatives created new think tanks and expanded existing ones. They developed a vibrant network of grass-roots organizations that could quickly mobilize voters through tactics like direct mail. Conservatives established media outlets, starting with magazines and talk radio and extending into network television. During the 1990s, the right strengthened its ties to Washington-based interest groups that were able to exert pressure inside the Beltway and mount "Astroturf" operations back in the districts.

When conservatives have mobilized this summer in opposition to health care reform, they have been supported by this formidable infrastructure, most of which remains in place.)

that jumps out at me: for all those (some on this board) who did not believe that the "regular folks" at these town hall meetings and the rally were part of an organized group effort, just read the paragraph again.

It has been the well thought out, well planned, and well financed effort to control the agenda that those who took over the conservative party undertook that accounts for much of the divide that we see in the country today IMO. As I have said before: who is the next Bill Buckley and where is he or she? Won't they please come forward quickly!

Chomp chomp! Have they asked you to be the guest picker in the Alligator-brand Picks Column? yet? Nice job on the column, btw.

Haha, no I don't think I would be the best person to ask for the picks column...i don't follow college football as much as I should, although my time at UF is slowly changing that...