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NewJeffCT

(56,829 posts) Mon Oct 8, 2018, 05:17 PM Oct 2018

The Dark Side of American conservatism has taken over

Good read from ex-Republican Max Boot - his tweet is below, but a direct link to the WP article is below that

Link to tweet

?s=19

You know how, after you watch a movie with a surprise ending, you sometimes replay the plot in your head to find the clues you missed the first time around? That’s what I’ve been doing lately with the history of conservatism — a movement I had been part of since my teenage days as a conservative columnist at the University of California at Berkeley in the early 1990s. In the decades since, I have written for numerous conservative publications and served as a foreign policy adviser to three Republican presidential candidates. It would be nice to think that Donald Trump is an anomaly who came out of nowhere to take over an otherwise sane and sober movement. But it just isn’t so.

Upon closer examination, it’s obvious that the history of modern conservative is permeated with racism, extremism, conspiracy-mongering, isolationism and know-nothingism. I disagree with progressives who argue that these disfigurations define the totality of conservatism; conservatives have also espoused high-minded principles that I still believe in, and the bigotry on the right appeared to be ameliorating in recent decades. But there has always been a dark underside to conservatism that I chose for most of my life to ignore. It’s amazing how little you can see when your eyes are closed!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2018/10/08/the-dark-side-of-american-conservatism-has-taken-over/?__twitter_impression=true

11 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

The Dark Side of American conservatism has taken over (Original Post) NewJeffCT Oct 2018 OP

Excellent article...and the comments about it were interesting too. skylucy Oct 2018 #1

But but, they're all good Christians! awesomerwb1 Oct 2018 #2

That sums up "high-minded" Cary Oct 2018 #4

Conservstives have never espoused high-minded principles Cary Oct 2018 #3

Exactly! Turin_C3PO Oct 2018 #5

I would mostly agree NewJeffCT Oct 2018 #9

Jeff, as we age and mature we must give things up. Cary Oct 2018 #10

His "debate" with James Baldwin was discusting. violetpastille Oct 2018 #11

Conservatives have definitely jumped the shark Turin_C3PO Oct 2018 #6

Dark side? NO! More like the distilled essence sanatanadharma Oct 2018 #7

No shit - my entire life I have known they were scumbags Cosmocat Oct 2018 #8

skylucy

(3,743 posts)

1. Excellent article...and the comments about it were interesting too.

Reply to NewJeffCT (Original post)

Mon Oct 8, 2018, 05:33 PM

Oct 2018

awesomerwb1

(4,268 posts)

2. But but, they're all good Christians!

Reply to NewJeffCT (Original post)

Mon Oct 8, 2018, 05:35 PM

Oct 2018

Cary

(11,746 posts)

4. That sums up "high-minded"

Reply to awesomerwb1 (Reply #2)

Mon Oct 8, 2018, 05:37 PM

Oct 2018

Right?

Cary

(11,746 posts)

3. Conservstives have never espoused high-minded principles

Reply to NewJeffCT (Original post)

Mon Oct 8, 2018, 05:37 PM

Oct 2018

Lying,.greed, authoritarianism, racism, sexism, ....

Nothing high or minded there. Conservatism is a failure
Boot needs to man up and own that fact.

Turin_C3PO

(14,063 posts)

5. Exactly!

Reply to Cary (Reply #3)

Mon Oct 8, 2018, 05:39 PM

Oct 2018

I get tired of people saying that conservatives used to be credible. They opposed abolition, women’s suffrage, the New Deal, civil rights, etc., etc. Need I go on? Conservatives have ALWAYS been against social justice and economic fairness.

NewJeffCT

(56,829 posts)

9. I would mostly agree

Reply to Cary (Reply #3)

Mon Oct 8, 2018, 06:55 PM

Oct 2018

conservatism is a failure.

However, they have had some good "idea" people in the past - William F Buckley, George Will when he was younger, Charles Krauthammer, Richard Viguerie back in his day, the founders of CATO, Heritage, Hoover and a few others.

Not many, but I remember watching some of those talking heads shows back in the 80s (This Week with David Brinkley) and I could see lively debates between George Will and Sam Donaldson. Now, all the RWers do is spout empty talking points that are usually just lies.

Cary

(11,746 posts)

10. Jeff, as we age and mature we must give things up.

Reply to NewJeffCT (Reply #9)

Mon Oct 8, 2018, 07:42 PM

Oct 2018

We must give up our childhood. We must give up our youth. Then we give up our middle age, our health, and eventually we give up our lives.

We give up all things in the interim.

I read "God and Man At Yale" and I struggled to find good in it. I have read and listened and struggled to find good in Krauthammer and Will. I wanted to like them but never could and I will never forgive Buckley for his idiotic attack on Carl Sagan.

I did study economics and I have to say Friedman, who was mostly an asshole, did have some points. But.I digress. Markets work always and everywhere in the long run but in the long run we are all dead.

I have given up trying to find good in anyone. They are all evil and stupid unless.and until they can prove otherwise.

violetpastille

(1,483 posts)

11. His "debate" with James Baldwin was discusting.

Reply to Cary (Reply #10)

Mon Oct 8, 2018, 07:55 PM

Oct 2018

I can't even talk to people that express admiration for Buckley. Nope Octopus.

Turin_C3PO

(14,063 posts)

6. Conservatives have definitely jumped the shark

Reply to NewJeffCT (Original post)

Mon Oct 8, 2018, 05:43 PM

Oct 2018

with the election of tRump. But let’s be honest. They’ve always been against progress of any kind. Social AND economic.

sanatanadharma

(3,730 posts)

7. Dark side? NO! More like the distilled essence

Reply to NewJeffCT (Original post)

Mon Oct 8, 2018, 06:23 PM

Oct 2018

Don't step in it

Cosmocat

(14,573 posts)

8. No shit - my entire life I have known they were scumbags

Reply to NewJeffCT (Original post)

Mon Oct 8, 2018, 06:30 PM

Oct 2018

Knew Nixon was a POS when I was in Kindergarden (no lie), knew Reagen was full of shit in high school/college, and knew the GOP and conservative media were scumbags in the 90s ... The de-evolution has been exponential since the 90s - the knew they were blowing smoke up people's asses in the 90s, had come to believe their own bullshit by the time BHO was in office, and now are nothing more than an anti-liberal troll organization.

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