tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post705696074533701353..comments2023-10-16T07:13:12.123-05:00Comments on A plain blog about politics: When You've Got a Hidden ShameJonathan Bernsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-86860488904232162652011-03-07T16:31:59.840-06:002011-03-07T16:31:59.840-06:00First off, great song allusion in the title. John...First off, great song allusion in the title. Johnny Cash's version is just fantastic. <br /><br />As to the point, I think conservatives are perfectly happy with things as they are. <br /><br />You wrote that "it may make it easier to appear to be winning at any moment, but at the cost of actually fighting for policies they believe in." <br /><br />But conservatives <i>don't have policy preferences</i>. They just like winning. <br /><br />Consider how irate conservatives are whenever a Democrat is in the White House, and how elated they are when one of their own is in charge: http://www.balloon-juice.com/2010/04/20/distrust/<br /><br />And recall that, even though there is no principled conservative defense of George Bush Jr.'s economic policy, foreign policy, or domestic policies, Republicans revered him throughout his presidency. They treated him to a 75 percent approval rating as he left office (compared to 28 percent from independents): gallup.com/poll/113770/Bush-Presidency-Closes-34-Approval-61-Disapproval.aspx<br /><br />And as we've seen lately, Republicans argue that views they formerly advocated, like a health insurance mandate, Keynesian stimulus, Section 8 housing, the EITC, cape and trade, etc. etc., are not merely objectionable, but are tyrannical & unconstitutional when proposed by people outside the tribe. <br /><br />Sure, there are conservatives who aren't like that-- people like Mickey Edwards & Bruce Bartlett. But they've been excommunicated from the GOP & its affiliated institutions like the WSJ and Heritage. <br /><br />If your point is that there are no conservatives in the Republican Party, I agree 100%. But if we take the GOP to be the "conservative" party in the US, all evidence indicates that they're 100% happy with appearing to be winning at any given moment, because they have no policy-based political preferences.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-70177234080483099882011-03-07T16:19:57.563-06:002011-03-07T16:19:57.563-06:00The style of "argument" strikes me as si...The style of "argument" strikes me as similar to the style of argument of the Protestants of Northern Ireland [facing Irish Catholic demographics] and the Apartheiders of South Africa [facing Black South Africans]. That of a frightened minority; holders of privilege perceived to be soon ending; unable to count. They perceive that their "world" is ending and, as the desperate seem prone to do, they delude and aberrate more strongly. Tie with a religion with a built in Armageddon and there are the ingredients needed. Add an exterminationist history [White America's policy toward Native Americans] add that somewhere between 10 and 20% of any human population tends towards nuttiness and you have the Fox viewing public. Set it in a political structure with only two parties and one party starts out with the 10-20% nuts plus another 20-30% that are contrarians by nature and you have a in the neighborhood of 40-45% of the potential voters. Any relaxation or loss of morale by the other side in terms of enthusiasm to participate and you have a dead heat. Humans are a differentially evolving species so the population is headed in several directions at once.stevelaudignoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-54787768979675235692011-03-06T19:20:48.795-06:002011-03-06T19:20:48.795-06:00'rout' not 'route''rout' not 'route'Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-14211310194559856852011-03-05T09:16:53.393-06:002011-03-05T09:16:53.393-06:00What I think the right is up to is a Gramscian war...What I think the right is up to is a Gramscian war of position. It is evident from the style and tone of their arguments that the goal has been to delegitimize anything and anyone on the other side--liberals, government, academics, public sector workers, Planned Parenthood, Common Cause, etc., etc. This approach can be traced back to origins of movement conservatism in the late 1970s/early 1980s, or at least as far back as the Republican revolution of the 1990s (when candidates were urged to 'talk like Newt'). Any assertion/argument in a storm is their standard MO.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-34531898641382590092011-03-04T18:00:31.331-06:002011-03-04T18:00:31.331-06:00One point worth considering - when you're figh...One point worth considering - when you're fighting against something, there is no need for consistency. Throw it against the wall, see if it sticks. Sooner or later you'll get a winner, and all previous silliness will be forgiven, because you've just saved us from a fate worse than death.<br /><br />So FNC will be forgiven 98% of their insanity, as long as they manage to trigger genuine fear once in awhile. And as long as they are in opposition (or can portray themselves that way).Gordonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14660252332090242623noreply@blogger.com