Some have asked if there aren’t conservative sites I read regularly. Well, no. I will read nything I’ve been informed about that’s either interesting or revealing; but I don’t know of any economics or politics sites on that side that regularly provide analysis or information I need to take seriously. I know we’re supposed to pretend that both sides always have a point; but the truth is that most of the time they don’t. The parties are not equally irresponsible; Rachel Maddow isn’t Glenn Beck; and a conservative blog, almost by definition, is a blog written by someone who chooses not to notice that asymmetry. And life is short….
I hear it an awful lot- “Both sides do it!”, or “Both sides are guilty of the same things!” My girlfriend and I have this discussion frequently, and, oddly enough, we still haven’t managed to find resolution or agreement. I’m a (very) Liberal Democrat, and while I understand and recognize that my side of the fence harbors more than our fair share of weenies, moral cowards, and reprobates, I cannot and will not accept the argument that both sides are equally guilty, inept, self-absorbed…or whatever adjective you happen to be wanting to traffic in at the moment. False equivalence is NOT ipso facto equivalence. Period.
Look around you today, and most of the mess we find ourselves in can be laid at the feet of Republican policies. Granted, Democratic ineptitude and wishywashyness helped grease the skids in too many cases, but the deficit? George Bush’s legacy. Bill Clinton left office with a budget surplus, remember?
The never-ending wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? Once again, you can thank George Bush for those.
The growing gap between rich and poor? Well, those go back to St. Ronald Reagan, who never met a tax cut he wasn’t in love with, even when it ballooned the deficit and accentuated the gap between the haves and the have-nots.
The recession? Well, yeah, you can thank George Bush for that. The lack of regulatory oversight during the Bush Administration enabled the corporate greedheads who gave us the subprime mortgage crisis.
I could go on, but you get the point, right?
OK, so Democratic leadership hasn’t exactly been knocking it out of the park (see Obama, Barack)…. While Republicans talk about representing the middle class, it should be clear by now that Republicans have only one true consituency- the rich, because most Republicans in Congress ARE themselves rich.
conservatism (kənˈsɜːvəˌtɪzəm)
— n 1. opposition to change and innovation 2. a political philosophy advocating the preservation of the best of the established order in society and opposing radical change
Conservatism today is all about minimal government intrusion in the lives of the governed…unless the governed are engaged in practices and behaviors that Conservatives disapprove of. Then, to their way of thinking, it’s perfectly reasonable and appropriate for government to insert itself into the private lives, doctors offices, and affairs of Americans to whatever degree they deem necessary and sufficient.
I’d like to be able to take Conservatives seriously. I don’t have all the answers, and it’s not as if traditional Conservatism is a worthless ideology. The problem with American Conservatism, though, is that most Conservatives don’t understand their own ideology. For them, it’s not about smaller government, liberty, and personal responsibility. What it’s really all about is working to force their narrow agenda upon Americans, not all of whom share their beliefs and ideology. Proving that they are adept at multi-tasking, Conservatives are also working hard to advance the interests of their wealthy benefactors.
And no, despite what you may believe or how fervently you believe it, both sides are NOT the same, and both sides DON’T do it. It’s time we gave credit where credit where credit is due…and Conservatives are largely responsible for the mess this country is in. That doesn’t mean they can’t and shouldn’t be part of the solution…but if they want to be they need to get serious and start acting like it. Until and unless they lose the hypocrisy and debark from the culture wars bus, I cannot and will not take Conservatives seriously. They don’t deserve it.
WE DESERVE BETTER.
