Tag: Conservatism

Why Conservatives Hate War

I know you think because the someone is associated with the GOP makes them a conservative…..not so.

Most of what people think are conservatives are actually neocons or war mongers in the first degree.

Many conservatives feel the way I do….they are opposed to war especially the wars we are fighting now….open ended war that does little to provide any security to the homeland except in slogan only.

I guess the clods in Congress nowadays would call these conservatives RINOs…..because they love them some slogan that they can use at the next Trump rally of dunces.

The American Conservative had a recent article that covered why conservatives dislike war…..(a good article, BTW)

One of the odder aspects of present-day politics is the assumption that if you are antiwar you are on the left, and if you are conservative you are “pro-war.” Like labelling conservative states red and liberal states blue, this is an inversion of historical practice.

The opposition to America’s entry into both World Wars was largely led by conservatives. Senator Robert A. Taft, the standard-bearer of postwar conservatism, opposed war unless the United States itself was attacked. Even Bismarck, after he had fought and won the three wars he needed to unify Germany, was staunchly antiwar. He once described preventive war, like the one America is being pressured to wage on Iran, as “committing suicide for fear of being killed.”

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/why-conservatives-hate-war/

I am finding as the days go by that I have a lot in common with real conservatives and not those mental midgets RINOs that support Trump and that toad Bannon.

GOP Wassup?

DC is awash with chaos.  The rebellion is lead (in a way) by Flake, Corker and McCain and according to Trumpites these men are RINOs.

RINOs simply because they will not stand by and let Trump ruin this country.

If we therm I would wear the badge proudly.

But it makes perfect sense….a label from a group that thinks in labels and slogans.

The problem is most “conservatives” today would not know conservatism if it bit them in the ass.

Maybe it is time to re-think Burke and conservatism…….

Conservatives are engaged in deep introspection these days. As they reconsider their direction, they would do well to look back to the formative period of their movement. They may find something there of great value—something many conservatives think their movement embraced, but in truth rejected.

By 1952, liberal candidates had not only captured the last five Democratic presidential nominations but the past five Republican nominations as well. Most observers considered conservatism dead—a philosophy unsuited for modern times. A small number of intellectuals disagreed. They believed that—if redefined—conservatism might be resuscitated. But they passionately disagreed about how it should be redefined.

Source: Burke Not Buckley | The American Conservative

Can Conservatism Be Reclaimed?

Today the Congress returns to work from their vacation for Labor Day…..now would be a good time for them to take control of their party and their agenda….force Trump to work with them.

In the era of Trump conservatism has taken a hard hit…..gone are the days of a conservative agenda.

What we have now is an attempt by the president to kill the American political society.

There are some cracks showing through…..the GOP has been doing whatever Trump wants but now their are a few Repubs that want to reclaim their party and their agenda…but what they must do……

The way congressional Republicans could demonstrate seriousness about distancing themselves from distasteful aspects of the Trump administration would be to take some legislative action on those aspects. Here are some possibilities:

  • Congress could pass a law creating a special prosecutor position to investigate Russia issues with a fixed term, so Trump couldn’t arbitrarily fire Robert Mueller.
  • It could take up some of the suggestions of former Office of Government Ethics chief Walter Shaub to give the OGE more independence and statutory authority to force changes.
  • Legislators could pass a law mandating meaningful financial disclosure from presidents and presidential candidates, and a companion law requiring presidents and vice presidents to follow conflict of interest laws that apply to other White House staff.
  • They could tighten anti-nepotism laws so that a president’s clearly unqualified children are not acting in an official government capacity regardless of their salary situation.
  • They could restore funding that Trump’s Department of Homeland Security eliminated for de-radicalization programs aimed at white nationalists.
  • Congressional committees could hold hearings on the potential threat of white nationalist groups to the country.
  • Republican members of Congress could make their anti-Trump statements on Fox News and conservative talk radio outlets, delivering the message to the people who need to be persuaded that Trump is wrong rather than simply distancing themselves from him in the eyes of mainstream audiences.

(vox.com)

These steps alone would not save their precious agenda….but it would help establish them in a leadership role for the country.  Their agenda is threatened by corruption, in bed with neo-Nazis, the Russia thing, all diversions hanging over Trump’s head.

While I was never a fan of the conservative agenda I am less o over the Trump agenda (whatever the Hell it is)……

Is Conservatism Dying?

The GOP won the last election and Donald Trump was swept into the White House.  The “conservatives” rule the roost…they control all government…..all 3 branches.

I still think of conservatism in the classical sense….what we have today is more neo-liberalism than conservatism…..but we can argue the points of this philosophy….but the point I want to make is that Trump is NO conservative……our politicians, conserv ones, abandoned the philosophy decades ago….but look at the Trump White House……

If someone who paid little attention to American politics were to quickly survey congressional activity and presidential rhetoric since January, he might be excused for thinking that the Democratic party is firmly ensconced in both Congress and the White House. Very little has been accomplished so far this year, and that, along with the poor quality of the few supposed “successes,” can be ascribed to the dysfunctionality of the ruling Republican party and the inability of its leadership to achieve results amid general chaos. This week alone, congressional leaders reached a “compromise” on a $1 trillion budget deal that consisted primarily of concessions made by the GOP majority and points scored for Democrats. These include the continued funding of Planned Parenthood and so-called “sanctuary cities,” nearly $300 million for Puerto Rico’s Medicaid program, and language preventing the funding of any border-wall construction. The $1.5 billion apportioned for border security does not permit any funding of a deportation force.

Source: Donald Trump’s White House & GOP Have Abandoned Conservatism | National Review

In 1956 my grandfather was a strong supporter of the GOP and Ike….but that party has long since slid into the abyss of political craziness……back 60 years ago the GOP stood with workers, women, education and so forth….and look at them today….
 As I said…those days are long GONE!
I am sick of the toads that claim to be conservative…they are not.  A real conservative holds to tradition…I am not talking about the crap they call “tradition” from 25 years ago….a real conservative is for the traditions set forth in the Constitution…..a document that few know or have actually read.
Real conservatism is dying if not already dead and being replaced with the putrid issues of neo-liberalism.
And that is sad because as atrue radical, progressive if you like, we need a true conservative party….it makes for great political debate…today all we have is a rant between Right leaning neo-liberals and left leaning ones…..
We need true Conservatives!

Restoring Responsible ‘Conservatism’

For years the conservatives in this country were known to be a responsible form of governance.  The platform of the 1956 GOP platform illustrates the meaning of the term “responsible conservatism”…..

Back in those days they were as close as the US has had as a liberal since the turn of the 20th century.

As much as “liberal” has become a dirty word in U.S. politics, the word “conservative” has been ripped from all its honorable traditions and redefined as a dangerous form of radicalism,

What is it about the U.S. that makes it virtually the only country in the world where a political Left scarcely exists? We have a center Right — the Democratic Party. And we have a far Right — the Republican Party. In fact, just invoking the L-word “Liberal” can inflict quick political death. Yes, we’re safe from the Left here in America.

Having such a stunted political spectrum is bad enough in itself. Still worse is the utter corruption of the word conservative. U.S. society has allowed the Republican Party to hijack the word, distort it and redefine it to its own ends, against its real meaning.

Source: Restoring a Responsible ‘Conservatism’ – Consortiumnews

The day of a responsible Republican has long gone never to return.

What say you?

The Tragic Failure Of Real Conservatism In The Republican Party And The Best Hope For Tomorrow

This “press” is of an article, an op-ed, written by a loyal reader and friend of IST, The Ripening Wanderer……we may not always agree but in this case we do….I also see a loss of true conservative thinking…..replaced with issues that have NOTHING to do with governing.

I feel that his thoughts should be widely read…..we live in a partisan nation and that will NEVER change until more people understand the real differences in the political thinking…..

I do not see socialism hiding behind every liberal and I do not see fascists behind every conservative….what I see is a serious lack of understanding by the people of political philosophy….nothing will change until the people realize their differences and stop insulting each other and learn to work together….

I do NOT see any of the two parties working in the interests of the people….that must change or nothing will change….change that thing that all Americans vote for but never get……

My Dad was a staunch Republican all his life but if he were alive today I doubt he would give them the time of day. —– You see my Dad was a Conservative Republican and from what I have …

Source: The Tragic Failure Of Real Conservatism In The Republican Party And The Best Hope For Tomorrow – THE RIPENING WANDERER

Again I do not see Trump as the hope that is needed….but I guess anything is possible…..especially in the minds of the voters.

The Myth of American Retreat

Okay I admit it……I from time to time read the American Conservative…..while I do not agree with everything they write I do appreciate their perspectives from a conservative point of view…..there is so little true conservative thought these days.

What passes for conservative thought is nothing more than neoliberal bullshit…..especially when it comes to foreign policy and international relations….

The end of the Cold War brought about a rush of American politicos trying to set the US up as the preeminent power in the world….all the allegiances have not done what the neolibs desire….a safer America…..

The United States has been pursuing a grand strategy of primacy since at least the end of the Cold War. This hegemonic approach has sought, through active, deep engagement in the world, to preserve and extend the U.S.’s global dominance that followed the Soviet Union’s collapse. In other words, it has aimed to turn the unipolar moment into a unipolar era. Maintaining this dominance has meant aggressive diplomacy and the frequent display, threat, and use of military power everywhere from the Balkans to the Baltics, from Libya to Pakistan, and from the Taiwan Straits to the Korean peninsula.   

Unfortunately, primacy has largely failed to deliver what must be the first, second, and third priorities for any grand strategy: the satisfaction of national interests, foremost among them America’s safety. Rather than peace and security, primacy has brought about questionable military interventions and wars of choice in Somalia, Haiti, the Balkans (twice), Iraq (three times, depending on how you count), Libya, and Syria. Our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have led to the deaths of almost 7,000 American troops, the wounding of tens of thousands more, and the filing of disability claims by nearly a million veterans. Rather than protecting the conditions of our prosperity, primacy has cost Americans dearly, with the annual defense budget now set to rise to around $600 billion and the Iraq War alone wasting trillions of dollars. As for our values, the U.S. approach has placed our nation in the uncomfortable position of defending illiberal regimes abroad, stained our reputation for the rule of law with Guantanamo and drone campaigns, and sacrificed the Constitutional authority of Congress. 

Source: The Myth of American Retreat | The American Conservative

The US needs a change in direction…..the world has changed and we must change with it…..that will make the country safer.

Reclaiming Conservative Foreign Policy

In these days when anyone writes something from a non-Right perspective they are being politically correct…..the fairly new buzzword for anyone that does not hold their point of view…….basically it is said before anyone responds in the hope of shutting down the conversation so they do not have to think of a reply.

You want politically correct?  People that call themselves conservative these days…..when they are actually a neo-liberal….. I know they are afraid of any title where the word “liberal” appears but sorry…..the truth hurts!

Today’s “conservative” foreign policy is anything BUT conservative.  Recently in the American Conservative they had an article that sort of makes my point…….an interesting read and should be a required reading for anyone that claims the title of conservative.  (Most would not know a true conservative even it walked up and bit them in the ass)…….

The rise of Donald Trump has led to predictions that the neoconservative dominance of Republican foreign policy is about to end, whether or not Trump wins. The Donald has challenged the perpetual military interventionism aspect of neocon-think without doing any damage to his campaign and, in the process, he has certainly noticed who the most strident voices being raised against him are.

Admittedly the prospect of a world blissfully free of neocons is appealing, but some observers have noted how the neoconservatives are chameleon like, blending in with whoever is controlling the levers of power and capable of moving from their original home in the Democratic Party over to the GOP—and then back again to the Democrats whenever it seems tactically advisable. Their eradication is far from a sure thing and one expects to see the neocon stalwarts Victoria Nuland and Robert Kagan at the top of any Hillary Clinton administration.

Source: Reclaiming Conservative Foreign Policy | The American Conservative

It is election time……maybe it is time for conservatives to remove their heads from their anal cavity.

Just a thought!

– This Rambling, Incoherent Mess Of A Video Is What Conservatives Are Paying Sarah Palin To Watch

YOU HAVE GOT TO WATCH THIS VIDEO!

Originally this was going into my series, Babbling Buffoons of Babylon, but after watching it I decided this idiot needs her own post.

I have said many times that I think Sarah Palin is as worthless as they come…..and now with a channel all her own she is even less coherent….

Watch this then tell me what she actually had to say….if you can.  Then explain to me just what about this babbling moron would have made a good VP….apparently I am missing it totally.

Subscribers ought to be up in arms for this crap….unless you are just plain stupid and enjoy throwing your money away……(thinking)……..

Tell me what she said!

 

 

– This Rambling, Incoherent Mess Of A Video Is What Conservatives Are Paying Sarah Palin To Watch.

Where “Compassionate Conservatism” Falls Apart | Perspectives | BillMoyers.com

Remember GW?  I know many of us would like to try and forget him….but we cannot.  Remember when he was running for office he had what he called “compassionate conservatism”?

Looks like his master plan is starting to fall apart……read on…….enjoy.

 

Where “Compassionate Conservatism” Falls Apart | Perspectives | BillMoyers.com.