The Bush administration is being widely denounced as a failure lately. But:
- They weren’t, really: the "failure" itself was a conservative goal
- Lots of Republicans are still in office, and Jeb Bush is apparently planning to run for senate (and his chances are thought to be good)... so we dare not dismiss them.
My biggest fear is that even we "liberals" don’t fully "get it" with regards to just how radical and destructive conservative philosophy is. If we don’t educate the public, we’ll be fighting them for years. And we’ll be spending lots of energy on the wrong issues: those wedge issues Republicans are so adept at using to obscure their main goals.
The Radical Nature of Conservative Philosophy:
I recently finished reading "The Shock Doctrine" by Naomi Klein and "The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule" by Thomas Frank. Both make a pretty good case that it is an integral part of conservative philosophy to make the government incompetent and to run up huge deficits. The rational for this, briefly, is that by filling the government with inexperienced party zealots and business hacks, they both thwart and defund the agenda of progressives (which are generally in contrast with business interests, at least in the short run) and steer government money to friends of the conservative movement. And when the government has huge deficits, it makes it difficult if not impossible to take on new programs like single payer health insurance, and more necessary for government to do yet more privatization which steers more money their way. And, as a bonus, the public sours on government in general, because most people aren’t sufficiently engaged to realize that these failures are due to conservatives. The books make a much better case than I, and I highly recommend both of them (I heard Rachel Maddow say that Klein’s book is (to paraphrase) the "one book you should read this year".) Frank’s book cites quotes from the Heritage Foundation and noted conservatives advocating the type of incompetence and mismanagement that has been the hallmark of the Bush administration. But basically, shoveling out wads of cash with no oversight whatsoever was exactly the conservative agenda: it wasn’t at all a "failed administration that wasn’t" really conservative".)
The Past Taints the Future:
One pundit mentioned a while back that Obama was inheriting "the ‘in box’ from hell". But I’m still not sure most people understand the half of it. The Bush deficits are going to be a massive problem for Obama. Many things need to be done to reverse the present course, but most cost money. The Bush administration has been highly successful in setting Obama up for failure. Government also has a lot of inertia: government salaries have been falling for years, agencies have been stuffed full of incompetents and people who have lost their ability to care, and reversing all this will be very difficult and take time. And so: disappointment in government will probably continue, and will be contrasted with people’s high expectations for Obama. When people lose faith in government, they tune out or start buying into the "conservative agenda" of less government. (Which of course isn’t what conservatives deliver: instead, they deliver "corporatist government", where a small group of the rich run the government and the big companies. Klein makes the very interesting point that, like communism, true conservativeism is too unstable to ever exist. Both rely on a small group of people who control the government and business. In both cases this oligarchy ends up taking over and running things for their own benefit.)
The Public Still Doesn’t Get It:
The public (at least two thirds of it) has soured on the Bush administration. Many have even soured on the Republican party. My fear, however, is that this may not last. The general public may be willing to believe that the administration was incompetent and the party had a lot of corruption. But I seriously doubt that the majority really believe that Republicans deliberately set out to make the government fail and to waste their hard earned tax dollars. The latter is, of course, radically in opposition to the image they try to project, and one of their biggest objections to liberal government. Most Americans are good people and want desperately to think that both parties generally want the best for the country. The GOP pretty much represents big business, which includes the corporate media. They have worked hard over the last few decades to convince the public that if any party doesn’t have their interest at heart, it is "the liberals".
We Need a Campaign:
We need a way to communicate the reality of conservativism to the public. If we don’t, they’ll continue to be effective in fighting us, and they’ll be back in power soon enough. It’s not an easy message, and so it’s hard to sound-bite. But we have to try. I think we need a general theme which will be recognizable, and then variations of it to fill in the details. I’m not really sure how else to spread this around: bumper stickers, web ads, flyers, T-shirts. Probably a web site to back it up: maybe just more or less a synopsis of the books mentioned above. Ideally, though, it would be something that would make a big enough splash to become sort of a generalized and acknowledged "truth". Like "the liberal media", but in this case an actual truth. I realize it’s a negative message, but that’s what needs to be communicated.
As to what to say: I’m no marketing person, so I appeal to those that are. But:
Guidelines:- Short phrases are good: need to be "catchy" and "ring true" and "be repeatable". Some (maybe all) need to be of bumper sticker shortness.
- Republicans are the target: maybe we need to say that word. "GOP" is shorter, but not everyone will make the connection. "Conservative" is just as long, and too abstract.
A Couple Ideas:
(borrowing from Act-Up...) Several separate but related slogans:
- Republicans = deficits
- Republicans = incompetence
- Republicans = corruption
- Republicans = inequality
- Republicans = no checks and balances
- Republicans = drowning
Also: how about graphs.
- "Government deficit over time", in color changing to show the controlling party/congress.
- Number of lobbyists over time
- Pollution emissions over time
Obviously I’m not a marketing person, but I do think there’s a need. Is anyone aware of an effort like this already in progress, or have good ideas on what to say or how to say it?