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!

Is Obama A Socialist?

Have you noticed that some things never change when it comes to the “Ignorati”?

This is one of my favorite pieces of manure from the Right….Obama is a socialist…or is it Marxist….or ……..what it is is total fabrication from loonies that would not know a socialist if one walked up and bit them in the ass.

Months after Obama has left office the dog whistle idiots on the Right are still going on about Obama as some sort of “socialist”…..I understand why they do it…..it is because they will not bring themselves to admit that their man in the White House is incompetent fool….so they are still stuck on Obama and anyone that will not agree with them as some sort of “socialist” conspiracy….FYI….do not compare Trump to a fascist or they, the Right, will go batcrap crazy for only they can make shit up about a president past of present.

But let’s look at Obama being a socialist.

The easy answer to the question is NO….but that is not good enough for the chin wagers on the Right…..so let’s look deeper…..

Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States, is not a socialist. While varying theories and approaches exist among socialists, all of them advocate for some form of social or state ownership over the means of production. Obama proposes none of this

While Obama has argued for enhanced and even structural regulation of certain industries, including health care, this in no way suggests a move toward all-out socialism. In contrast, Obama received widespread support from Wall Street interests during campaigning and, as of 2014, continues to receive only muted approval of his policy decisions from self-identified American socialists.

The term “socialist,” as applied to Mr. Obama, may have become a fear word or pejorative deployed by some conservatives convinced of its ability to shock the public and create ideological rifts among the electorate, according to CNBC. This, the same source suggests, possibly results from the weakening shock value of words such as “liberal” in American political discourse. While Mr. Obama may support some socialist-inspired policies when applied to social justice issues and public protections, a broad coalition of American statesmen and women have supported similar policies for generations, both Republican and Democrat. Some such policies have become essential features of America’s capitalist democracy, policies such as government regulation of food and workplace safety, social security, Medicaid and Medicare, along with publicly supplied protections for veterans and their families.

With all that said…..cut it anyway you slow mental midgets like…the answer is still….NO!

BTW….being black does NOT make a socialist either….contrary to popular belief.

Closing Thought–10Apr17

These days I am not posting much on domestic situations…the world is getting close to the ignition stage and there is just too much happening for me to ignore….after all that is what I was trained to do…..ANALYZE.

But I will post from time to time on stuff that is out of my field…..

I have had several op-eds posted in Ace News Room….I try to “Press” them here so that others can read them that may not be regulars over at Ace.

It is no secret that I am a bit radical…in my younger days I was a hardcore radical…but I have mellowed a bit with age….but the concerns and desires are still there…..

First op-ed is a small look into my younger days of rebellion…..

“I Was A Teenage Socialist”…….

Personally, I think that is a capital idea for a title for an RKO feature film….right? (I knew I could get a movie reference in if I just tried)…but I am sure that if we let the major studios film it it would be along the lines of “Reefer Madness“.

Source: I Was a Teenage Socialist | Ace News Room

After the last election I saw what is needed in the US…a strong Left movement…and please do not say Dems….they are nothing more than a flip side of a Repub…..then I hit on an idea……

The voting is over and there is something that I wanted to share……I waited before posting this because I was a afraid that too much would be read into the subject……. By now …

Source: America Needs A Good Strong A.R.M. | Ace News Room

Back in 2010 I floated an idea along with a few others of a new Bull Moose Party……

Source: How About A “Bull Moose Party”? #1 – In Saner Thought

Source: How About A New “Bull Moose Party”? #2 – In Saner Thought

My point is that it is time for a real “progressive” party to arise in the US….but will it?

The day is finished for this puppy…but tomorrow is another day and I will be here writing and ranting…..as usual. chuq

The Rise of Global Authoritarian Populism

In the last couple years there has been a rise in authoritarianism…..across Europe far Right is making head way…France, Greece, Hungary and even England…….the US is not immune from the ravages of authoritarianism.

The big question is will this trend continue or will thew world come to its senses?

If populism’s need for an ”apocalyptic confrontation” proves accurate, it might lead the Trump administration’s ”systemic revolutionaries” far beyond even their most extreme rhetoric.

In 2016, something extraordinary happened in the politics of diverse countries around the world. With surprising speed and simultaneity, a new generation of right-wing populist leaders emerged from the margins of nominally democratic nations to win power. In doing so, they gave voice, often in virulent fashion, to public concerns about the social costs of globalization.

Even in societies as disparate as the affluent United States and the impoverished Philippines, similarly violent strains of right-wing populist rhetoric carried two unlikely candidates from the political margins to the presidency. On opposite sides of the Pacific, these outsider campaigns were framed by lurid calls for violence and even murder.

Source: The Bloodstained Rise of Global Authoritarian Populism: A Political Movement’s Violent Pursuit of “Enemies”

Does history dictate that a rise in authoritarianism has to occur every 50-100 years?

Are You A Collectivist?

Anybody here ever watch Star Trek–The Next Generation?

If so then you will recall the Borg….the nemesis of the Federation. But what were the Borg?

……Their existence is in the Collective where each drone was part of the collective consciousness……they all received the same thoughts and information from those that were assimilated…..

And that got me thinking about “collectivism”……

Scratch your head and repeat after me…..HUH?

These days someone is always labeling others with some insulting tag or another…..such as “globalist”, “socialist”, “Fascist”, “apologist”…..so why not “collectivist”?

So onto a definition…..trying not to confuse too many at one time…..

Collectivism is a form of anthropomorphism. It attempts to see a group of individuals as having a single identity similar to a person. The collective is claimed to have ideas, and can think. It has purpose, and it acts to achieve goals. It even has a personality, called culture. It claims to have moral rules the collective should follow. It claims to have collective rights, as well.

Since the collective is actually just individuals interacting, the collectivists have to change their views of individuals. They morally evaluate people according to the results of the collective. If the collective manages to accomplish something great like land on the moon, every individual is given equal credit. If a nation goes to war, everyone is to blame. And if an individual refuses to acknowledge the superiority of his collective, than he is a traitor and is eliminated. This is the result of collectivism.

Collectivism demands that the group be more important than the individual. It requires the individual to sacrifice himself for the alleged good of the group. Although different from altruism, collectivism complements it well. Altruism demands sacrifice for others, collectivism demands sacrifice for the group. Collectivism leads to altruism.

Now that you have a handle on what collectivism is all about…..we will move onto what brought about the thought process that gave you this post.

We have a new way of thinking about our place in this society…..first of all….America has always been great and these days it needs to find itself again

Those involved with the America First revival and the campaign to “make America great again” seem to be forgetting that America was made great in the first place with freedom. Personal freedom and civil liberties, and economic freedom with the protection of private property rights, freedom of contract and association, and especially free markets.

It was the philosophy of individualism upon which America was founded and in which the people had real freedom — and thus, prosperity.

unfortunately, Donald Trump’s collectivist agenda involves a mystical nationalism with policies of authoritarian governmental controls, certainly not promoting individualism and inviolable free markets.

Source: Are You A Collectivist?

I have noticed that some bloggers fall into this trap….they just repeat the lousy info they have assimilated….in essence they are part of the “hive”…the collective.

“Resistance is futile….You will be assimilated”……..would make a great slogan for Breibart and other hate filled sites.

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?

In Saner Thought

"It is the duty of every man, as far as his ability extends, to detect and expose delusion and error"..Thomas Paine

Tag: Political Philosophy