I keep hearing how "we need a viable conservative party." Why? What for?

[thucythucy]

41. I'm always skeptical about arguments that say certain political behaviors

Last edited Sat Feb 13, 2021, 10:03 AM - Edit history (1)

are "literally genetically encoded." It may be true, but after our national experience with the "science" of eugenics I reserve judgment on such absolute determinism.

Conservativism is I think most often a result of upbringing and environment. Indeed, the choice of politics or religion is most often correlated with the religion or politics of one's family. And before you jump to the conclusion that this is proof of "genetics" it's good to recall that correlation is not necessarily proof of causation. Even the differences in brain structure you cite can beg the question of which comes first--these differences, or factors in the environment that can influence neurological development in young children.

In a "conservative" culture we now have a majority of people supporting President Biden's Covid relief and rescue plan. This despite decades of right wing demonization of all things Democratic and anything to do with "big government." Similarly, the US was by all accounts far more conservative as a culture in the early 1930s than it is today. And yet FDR's "radical" fixes for the economy meant five presidential wins and an unshaken majority in the House for something like nine election cycles. Remember conservatives (who back then had factions in both parties) opposed the GI Bill of Rights, which meant the only way Republicans were able to win the White House in 1952 was by nominating a war hero who by today's standards was pretty far left of center. Indeed, if not for the Korean War stalemate, and Eisenhower's statement that "no sane person" would want to repeal Social Security, that winning streak for Democrats could well have extended to 1968.

If we lose the conservative opposition long enough for people to actually experience how Democratic and liberal policies can help them economically, and won't necessarily hurt them socially (i.e. they won't be forced to turn gay, be put into FEMA work camps, forced to convert to Islam and obey Sharia law, etc. etc.) we could see an even further swing in favor of Democratic and liberal policies. As it is, many of the policies we identify as "liberal"--paid maternal leave and sick time, subsidies for child and adult day care, even President Obama's health care act--when polled without that label--gain the favor of majorities across the board.

In any case the GOP certainly won't disappear at the state and local levels. People whose family and friends have been conservative Republican, especially in rural areas, for generations--largely as a result not of genetics but of decades of unabated talk radio, church sermons, and Fox News--aren't going to cast aside that inclination. Which I think is a shame. But even such red states as West Virginia used to be home to what we would now consider to be a "radical" labor movement which began to founder only when the economy shifted from smokestack to service.

I'm not saying we don't need an opposition party. But I don't see why we should support any efforts, even rhetorical, to save the GOP from the consequences of its own destructive and even treasonous behaviors.

Edited to add: I would also point out that, despite the perception of the American public being so "conservative," Democrats have won the popular vote--and generally by impressive margins--in seven out of the last eight presidential elections. This despite voter suppression of urban, young, and most especially Black voters--all of whom favor Democrats by impressive margins--the likes of which we haven't seen since before passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.