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Title: Progressivism’s Vanquished Foe—Conservatism GOP Politics in a Nutshell (Part 3 of 3)
Source:
Lew Rockwell
URL Source: https://www.lewrockwell.com/2016/02 ... trowski/gop-politics-nutshell/
Published: Feb 3, 2016
Author: James Ostrowski
Post Date: 2016-02-03 18:17:12 by Deckard
Keywords: None
Views: 728
Comments: 4
Note: This is an excerpt from Progressivism: A Primer on the Idea Destroying America (2014). The utter failure of conservative Republicans to combat progressivism in any meaningful way explains the nature of GOP politics today. Like the Seinfeld sitcom, it is much ado about nothing, but without the laughs. Having failed to roll back any major progressive program in the last 100 years, how does the GOP manage to keep the votes and donations of the rank and file flowing in sufficient quantities to keep the GOP machine in power? Highly paid and talented GOP consultants have brilliantly risen to the challenge. There must be something that keeps the troops anteing up their votes and legwork and contributions to the mendacious Republican machine that talks smaller government but never delivers. There is. Here is how the scam works. The GOP whips up a personal hatred of prominent Democrats as a red herring to distract their own rank and file away from their lengthy record of failure. How do members of the GOP machine—elected and party officials, government employees and contractors, lawyers, consultants, and lobbyists, keep the gravy train rolling? Not by proposing to roll back the very same progressive big government that the rank and file basically supports. That would likely involve losing elections which would threaten to cut off the money spigot. Rather, the GOP machine deliberately distracts the rank and file’s attention away from ideas, issues and policies, and manipulates the masses into personally hating the leading Democrats du jour. Brilliant! Well done. These operatives, by the way, think that Ron Paul and any other activists who really care about ideas are saps and they are laughing at us all the way to the bank. Hillary was right. There is a vast, right-wing conspiracy to whip up hatred of Democratic icons like Bill and Hillary and Barack and Michelle primarily for their personal peccadilloes. So long as you hate Obama personally, you won’t be focusing on the GOP’s pathetic record of never shrinking government. Who cares if the GOP-controlled House continues to vote to fund progressive big government? What’s really important is that rascal Obama golfs too much and Michelle takes too many vacations. The nerve! Conclusion. Conservatism is an idea whose time has come and gone. While historical liberalism has a long list of monumental accomplishments, one struggles to conjure up a single significant accomplishment of American conservatism. Conservatism will never wage a winning war against progressivism. Worse yet, because of its half-hearted defense of market economics; its glorification of militarism and war and law enforcement; its often hostile attitude towards civil liberties; and its endless compromises with progressives to maintain power, the Liberty Movement’s various dalliances with this failed ideology have produced nothing of value, have tainted the Movement and have caused confusion about its true nature. The Liberty Movement must sever its ties to conservatism and move forward.
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#1. To: Deckard, Willie Green, All (#0)
Says who? The exact opposite is true with respect the percentage of people living at or below the poverty level in the U.S.The lowest level of poverty since 1960 was under Bush II and Carter, 16.9% and 16.8% average over their respective term(s). The highest was under Kennedy at 29.7%(he inherited a very high rate to begin with), Johnson at 22.8%, and, presently Obama at 19.4%. Clinton was at 18.2%. Nixon was at 17%. Papa Bush at 18.5%, Reagan at 18.8%. So much for the BS claim. Why do so-called liberals lie so much?
Here is some more inconvenient data that outs the lie to th BS claim about how great liberalism is.
Bush 2 ran up the credit card. You may recall that the economy collapsed ON HIS WATCH, but at the very end. It collapsed as the result of his policies. Obama was elected BECAUSE Bush 2 left the economy a disaster area, and McCain "suspended his campaign" and declared the economy "fundamentally strong". Why do Republicans lie so much about their "great" economic achievements. They run up the credit card and live higher than our means, then things crash on their way out the door. Republicans remember the Reagan boom, but they always forget that it ended in the bust of 1987, and the inconclusive Gulf War of Poppy Bush...ushering in both Perot and Clinton. Clinton left the economy in fantastic shape and the Cold War over. Bush 2 came in and repeated the Reagan legacy: big blow up of the balloon with massive debt, even bigger military campaigns than Reagan (Reagan wasn't a fool, W was). And a big economic collapse right at the end, as the result of those policies. Enter the Democrat to stabilize things. Clinton cleaned up the Reagan/Bush mess, and Obama has done the same. Going back in time, FDR had to clean up the Hoover mess. It's a long-repeated pattern of US history. For elephants, Republicans have such short memories.
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Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/LatestWhile historical liberalism has a long list of monumental accomplishments, one struggles to conjure up a single significant accomplishment of American conservatism.
#3. To: Deckard, Willie Green, All (#1)
While historical liberalism has a long list of monumental accomplishments, one struggles to conjure up a single significant accomplishment of American conservatism.
All of the Peak Income years were during Bush II's administration. Every quintile declined under Obama's administration. Further the decline under Obama were far worse for the 4th and Bottom quintiles than any other quintile. The middle quintile took quite a hit as well under Obama. AH, liberalism is so wonderful. Why do liberals lie so much?
#4. To: SOSO (#3)
All of the Peak Income years were during Bush II's administration. Every quintile declined under Obama's administration. Further the decline under Obama were far worse for the 4th and Bottom quintiles than any other quintile. The middle quintile took quite a hit as well under Obama. AH, liberalism is so wonderful. Why do liberals lie so much?
Replies to Comment # 4.
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