By the Way, Conservatism is Dead

[FarLeftFist]

(edited for copyright purposes-proud patriot Moderator Democratic Undeerground)

LINK: http://www.smirkingchimp.com/node/27923

by Bob Burnett | April 9, 2010 - 12:04pm
Recently there's been a lot of speculation about why the mood on the right has turned so sour. Some observers attribute it to the lack of leadership at the top of the Republican Party, the surreal reality that Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh have more influence than do elected Republicans. Others say it's a poisonous combination of economic angst and racial hatred. But there's a more obvious explanation: we're witnessing the death throes of conservatism. The right-wing ideology that ran the US for thirty years has proven to be a total failure and the passage of healthcare reform was the final nail in its coffin.

In case you've forgotten, classic conservatism promised to keep us safe, reduce the size of government, lower taxes, and manage the economy. Republican broke each of these commitments.

Keep us Safe: Conservatives/Republicans used to poll much stronger than Liberals/Democrats on national security. Then came 9/11 and the debacle of the Iraq war, where the GOP lost credibility. Despite the transition from the Bush to the Obama Administration, there has been little change in the military budget (+ 3 percent). Not surprisingly, voters now see little difference between Democrats and Republicans on this issue.

Shrink Government: Conservative ideologue Grover Norquist famously promised, "Our goal is to shrink government to the size where we can drown it in a bathtub." Nonetheless, the Federal bureaucracy grew during the Bush presidency. Now the Republican base - frustrated with the failure of their leaders to follow through on this promise - has turned to the futile pursuit of "state's rights" or, as Texas Governor Rick Perry has proposed, the notion of secession from the USA.

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