THE STATE OF CONSERVATISM

My main point is not just that conservatives do bad stuff, but that conservatism itself is inherently immoral. Nevertheless, how it stands with American conservatism today is of interest. So here is a summary.

All gall is divided into three parts. The Republican party, long since captured by the rawest conservatism, is today in danger of a three-way split among:

(1) The party's usual office-holders, whose aim is to

>strengthen the prerogatives of local power structures and giant corporations by reducing the prerogatives of everyday people
>promote wars, because that is good for business
>cut taxes for the rich
>gut environmental and business regulations, which interfere with profits and reduce the discretion of business leaders.
>crack down on dissent and identify doing that with patriotism.

This portion of the GOP would like a "big tent" in which Republicans of every stripe support one another. But today that idea appears quaint.

(2) The Religious Right, whose aim is to

>cram their religion down our throats using our own schoolhouses and courthouses
>make life hell for gays, liberals, and women who want abortions
>identify patriotism with theocracy
>reward the rich for being rich and punish the poor for being poor
>do the same things the party office-holders want to do.

(3) The teabaggers, whose aim is to

>abolish government, except when it is doing things expressly for them
>drive everyone who is not also an anarchist out of the Republican party
>weaken the Republican party because it is a political party and therefore is for government
>maximize suspicion and paranoia in the country
>redefine patriotism to mean the advocacy of what they are doing.

It should be clear that no single entity can embody all three of these agendas. So something has to give.

There are also conservatives of a more libertarian sort, in the Barry Goldwater mold. But the libertarians have their own party and have little chance of taking over the Republican one.

A few weeks ago Congressman Bob Inglis (R-SC) complained that the Religious Right to which he belongs is being challenged by what he termed the Far Right, which is the teabaggers. On healthcare, he quoted one as telling him that they want "freeloaders" (anyone without health insurance or wealth) to die on the hospital steps. Inglis does not go along with that, which only shows that there are traitors to the true conservative cause everywhere!

I will have more to say on the teabaggers in the postings just ahead.