I've slipped. I've done it.
You've done it, too.
Using the word 'conservative' to describe the array of wingnuttia that ranges from the incoherent drivel of Michele Bachman and disgusting and vile bombast that comes out of Rush Limbaugh and his ilk, to the nonsense that spews forth from Mitch McConnell, John Boehner and Michael Steele: it's a mistake.
The very word 'conservative' has truly lost it's meaning, in an era when Republicans have systemically supported the dismantling of the historic balance of power between the three branches of government, installation of a Unitary Executive, and actively sought to destroy the power to fund the national government by gutting progressive taxation.
These last 30, 40 years or so have been anything but conservative.
Banking regulations and financial oversight and responsibility that have served the nation [and the world] quite well since the 1940s have been eaten away in favor of "neo-liberal free market ideology". This philosophy is based upon unproven paradigms of breaking down barriers to international trade and investment, and letting the financial world 'police itself'.
These are NOT conservative ideals.
Slipping into the mistake of using the word "conservative" to describe those religious whack jobs who want government inside your bedroom and inside your body, and the greedy corporatists that push imperialistic war and predatory commerce gives them all a credibility they simply do not deserve.
As for the illegal wars, mass murder, torturing innocent people taken off the streets, extraordinary renditions, supporting heinous foreign leaders, wiretapping phones and violating civil rights and human rights on massive scales, one can make a case that Republicans are more often seen doing these actions than Democrats. I'd prefer to use the label Republican where ever possible to describe actions like these that are taken, when factual.
Shifting the nation's [and the world, as they followed suit] money supply from government to the rich by stripping away progressive taxation, handing power to the finance and commerce industries to create massive monopolies are not conservative ideals.
Calling the racist and prejudiced thugs who use xenophobia, religious and racial baiting to push their twisted agendas 'conservatives' allows them a patina of 'respect' that they never earned.
I'm doing the best I can to change the way I label people.
Let's take Lou Dobbs, for instance. Dobbs is not a 'conservative'; he's a greedy corporatist who fakes his populism, and stoops to using racism and xenophobia to rouse his listeners.
Matt Taibbi describes Michele Bachmann perfectly here:
Taibbi: You know it's funny this morning outside of Penn Station I saw a guy huffing glue out of a paper bag, and he was making more sense than Michelle Bachmann was making. I can't believe it. You need to pass a written test to drive a car in this country but I bet this woman can't even write her name in the ground with a stick. I mean it's just unbelievable to me that this person is in the Congress.
Now, I'll admit that it takes some real talent to drive this point home in this manner, but note that Taibbi never used the word 'conservative' to describe Michele Bachmann. Too bad he forgot the word 'Republican' in his description, because frankly, she's not the only one like that. Think Mean Jean Schmidt.
There is a counter argument to the labeling game, and I have heard it being used. By using the word conservative to describe people like Bachmann, Limbaugh, Dobbs and others of their ilk, it helps to 'disgust' people who call themselves conservatives and make them think of changing the way they approach issues. I have to differ, as corporate media owns the bullhorn, and they set the playing field.
The word 'liberal' became an epithet in the hands of corporate media, a term of derision to describe a panoply of people from the left, from George McGovern and Mike Dukakis to Michael Moore and Dennis Kucinich, the word liberal has been used like weapon against a wide range of progressive thought. 'Liberal' and 'hippy' started to become synonymous in the 1960s.
I guess the point of this is, we will never see that level of derision associated with the word 'conservative'. Trying to use the word fascist [which I mistakenly fall into too often] is an over reaction done out of frustration; it's a common fault I see here all the time.
Stop ceding ground to the vacant philosophies of religious extremism, greed and corporatism, imperialism and outright ignorant insanity and call them what they are, rather than use the word 'conservative' to describe it.
Republican religious extremism.
Republican greed and predatory corporatism.
Republican describes the failed financial and foreign policies of the Bush Administration.
It's Republican "trickle down / top down" VooDoo economics [well, I wish it truly were, but that is another diary - still Republicans are more craven to this philosophy than Democrats].
Let's not cede to the modern day Republicans and right wing extremists a label they have ever earned. Using the word Republican or better yet Failed Republican Policies in place of the word 'conservative' makes more sense. It will help change the narrative.
Additional:
Great comments, thank you!
From the comments:
Reactionary and nihilist are really excellent single word descriptors to outline the state of the Republican Party and the right wing noise machine. They truly impart the nature and core beliefs of what these people are, much more so than the word 'conservative'.