|
|
|
May 09, 2009
Only bigots oppose hope and change
Jeremy Marks (a very articulate, conservative law student) identifies what he sees as the real problem for conservatives: Conservatism's real quandary lies in the fact that it cannot be effectively communicated in a Moveon-esque, 20-second sound clip -- a medium that my Pavlovian generation flocks to without a critical thought. Liberalism is an ideology of emotion and false hope: a deadly combination. Conservatism takes some thought and deductive reasoning: a deadly knell.Actually, I think conservatism can be effectively communicated in a Moveon-esque, 20-second sound clip. For example, Ronald Reagan's "Government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem." It's just that no one is doing it. As Marks points out, conservatives stumble around in the face of "Obama's Houdini-like homilies" (why "hope and change" are magic words, I don't know) with "an inherently feeble conservative response." I don't think the problem is a shortage of articulate conservatives. I think it's because of fear. Part of Barack Obama's magic is that all opposition to him is defined as bigotry. But that's only a culmination in a meme that's been polished for decades. Conservatives are mean and bigoted, while liberals are nice. This puts conservatives in an awkward position -- a classic case of the deer-caught-in-the-headlights syndrome. On top of that, right now conservatives are seen as having squandered years in power, and as other than trustworthy. Regardless of how true this is, it's the public perception (and it is even the way many conservatives see themselves). Being seen as less than trustworthy while acting like a deer caught in the headlights is not a winning combination. posted by Eric on 05.09.09 at 07:57 AM
Comments
How did that meme get traction? Some of the not nicest people I know are liberals. Brett · May 9, 2009 08:36 AM "How did that meme get traction"? It is seen as compassionate, Brett. Not telling other people to keep their pants zipped and to resist other bad behaviors is seen as a good thing... in other words, lying to them: that they can be successful without living good, productive, responsible lives. The reality is that they're doomed to a dangerous and miserable existence (with no hope of improvement) by living on the public dole. Somehow, telling a 14 year old girl from the projects that having a bastard child that the state will support, and will support her and any other bastard children she has, is being kind/compassionate to her. The conservative message is that having a baby when you're 14 is a life destroyer, as it severely limits your opportunities in life, as well as that of the baby. That's just ONE example of the "we have to support [insert group here] because they're incapable of ever supporting themselves or developing themselves to enable them to support themselves." But conservatives are the racists. Go figure. Mrs. du Toit · May 9, 2009 09:20 AM MDT, The problem is not 14 year olds having children. It is unmarried 14 year olds having children. M. Simon · May 9, 2009 11:48 AM Now the problem is unmarried 28 year olds having grandchildren. Lovernios · May 9, 2009 05:20 PM The real problem, Simon, is that men/boys who have sex with 14 year old girls are not hanged. Yes, there was once a time when 14 year old girls got married... but that was ALSO the time when the life expectancy of women was 35. Having the functioning hardware doesn't mean we need to overload it so soon, and waiting for the software to develop is a very good thing. Mrs. du Toit · May 9, 2009 07:41 PM Yes, I'm sure that murdering teenage boys for screwing teenage girls will solve all our problems. Their side promises people wealth and power. Ours promises...what? To leave them alone? I use "our side" liberally, as I suspect I'm one of the few an-caps around here. But leftists scare me more than rightists so I hang around. Joe R. · May 10, 2009 06:35 AM The conservative message is that having a baby when you're 14 is a life destroyer, as it severely limits your opportunities in life, as well as that of the baby. By that standard, I am a conservative. I also believe in monogamy. The problem is, many of my liberal friends also believe in these things, yet no one would call them conservatives. The difference between me and my liberal friends is that like you Connie, I don't think "telling a 14 year old girl from the projects that having a bastard child that the state will support, and will support her and any other bastard children she has, is being kind/compassionate to her." As far as I'm concerned, if you can't raise your child without state help, you have no right to the child. Bring back orphanages for the babies, and workhouses for the mothers. Where I tend towards liberalism in this debate is in opposing capital punishment for sex crimes. Unless the victim is dead, I would not support the death penalty. Eric Scheie · May 10, 2009 08:55 AM |
|
June 2009
WORLD-WIDE CALENDAR
Search the Site
E-mail
Classics To Go
Archives
June 2009
May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 May 2002 AB 1634 MBAPBSAAGOP Skepticism See more archives here Old (Blogspot) archives
Recent Entries
• It's An Absolute Disgrace
• The Seeds Of Stupidity • Remember D-Day • Newton's Cradle • Taxes Send Jobs Offshore • The law is the law! • A teaching moment? • You Can't Do It At Random • In debt to Islam? For Western thought? • David Carradine Is Dead
Links
Site Credits
|
|
Liberals it seems view government as a no limit credit card, and have no concern about payment for their spending programs.
(They have always raised taxes later.)
Conservatives understand before spending that a bill will arrive.