In Search Of The Last Conservative

By BlackJack

George W. Bush is not a conservative. Unless you 'drank the kool-aid' - meaning that you've already resigned yourself to the fact that you'll approve of whatever the President does tomorrow - you've probably questioned the conservatism of at least some of the actions of the Bush administration. With the current monstrous deficits, fractured military and failed attempts at restructuring federal social programs there's not much a true conservative can hang his hat on.

To meet me now you would probably never guess that I was once a Young Republican. I grew up seeing Nixon leave the White House in shame, watching Ford stumble about without any effect and finally Carter's great dreams dashed against the rocks of the real world. I came of age under Reagan and it was an exciting moment in history.

I was young and the Republican Party seemed to hold the same values I did - get rich and look good doing it! But somewhere along the road to riches I started noticing who was being pushed off the wagon to lighten the load - the disadvantaged, the less fortunate, the mentally ill and the disabled veterans. All the people my Christian upbringing had taught me I should be looking out for.

I can remember, as a prepubescent boy, sitting in church on Sunday trying to stay awake during my Dad's sermons. I'd imagine that the place was being attacked by masked terrorists (not the 2006 fundamentalist kind, but the late 70's cinema variety with their vaguely European accents) and I would swoop down from the balcony to save the whole congregation. I'd of course earn the admiration of all the young ladies and a few appreciative handshakes from the elders. I guess I always had a bit of a bible-oriented superhero complex. I suppose that is why I have always felt a compulsion to help those that can't help themselves - something of a Super Jesus Democrat.

But I always held my friends from the Party of Lincoln in high regard. After all, at a point in history after the Civil War, it was my party who struggled to bend the law to continue the pre-war oppression of the recently freed slaves. There were many great conservatives who demonstrated their great love for our nation with great works and deeds that had benefited all Americans. Republicans weren't evil; they just saw things a bit differently. Usually if we talked long enough we could find some common ground. We were all Americans after all.

Sometime shortly after the Republicans swept back into power in the 90's with their 'Contract with America', a new kind of hawk could be found at the center of every conversation at every party in Washington. They were the neo-cons - The New Conservatives. The roots of the movement dated back to the Eisenhower days but really began to gain momentum during the Reagan years. Neo-conservatives embraced a proactive foreign policy, reduced social programs and expansion of the military.

Somewhere between the flower power generation, the sexual revolution and Mr. Clinton's blue-dress infidelity the nation was due for a moral backlash. The neo-conservatives found a solid base of disgruntled evangelical Christians and blue-collar Americans and, through alliances with the Christian Coalition and Ralph Reed and with the political genius of Karl Rove were able to convince America that George W. Bush would bring a return to 'traditional values'. They twisted false patriotism, fear and a yearning for something more substantial than a big-screen TV and an IRA into a political movement. Talking heads like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Anne Coulter tied themselves to the fortunes of the movement - giving a harsh voice to the darkest corners of peoples fears and prejudices all the while creating a nice pile of cash for themselves selling advertising, books and how-to-be-a-good-American videos.

Unfortunately, this union of neo-conservatism, born-again Christians and corporate leadership formed a new breed of right-winger that I call the Neo-capitalists. Neo-capitalists believe the government should be run like a large corporation - cutting costs (social programs), provide a revenue-producing service (spreading democracy through war) and provide a dividend to investors (tax cuts that benefit the wealthy who helped get them elected).

This new strain played the ultimate shell game with the American people. They promised a return to the good old-fashioned Christian values of the Grand Old Party. Instead they're pulling an Enron - raping the treasury while lining their own pockets. If the country wasn't so filled with rage at itself it might notice that the President and his posse have probably committed at least a handful of impeachable offences all the while shedding off anyone within its tight circle who dares to question a policy.

The appointments of a couple of right-wing Supreme Court Justices will be all that the neo-cons and Christian right will have when it's said and done. Most of Middle America, where Bush and company found its voting base, will be left with little more than a nagging suspicion that the fox spent eight years in the hen house and they were the ones who opened the door and let him in. That should give them something to ponder while they're helping pack up their own jobs and sending them off to Asia. Unfortunately there won't be any social programs left to support them while they search for work.

I miss the old conservatives.