Conservatives are a fun group to observe. The varied and many forms of outrage on display are at times humorous, sometimes disingenuous, at times hateful, but usually entertaining. This outrage, or backlash, also warrants concern because it is well funded, well fueled, and always ignited.
Watching Republicans wrangle the veritable mix of conservatives to find a common narrative, one can’t help but notice the lack of any moderate Republican voice. The lack of original, thoughtful policy initiatives inharmoniously at odds with the talking point of the day. The many instances of mindless vitriol in defense of conservative dogma makes us laugh, our beloved media plays along, and nothing happens legislatively.
Throughout the past year, the Republican response to the new Democratic administration and pushed by the more conservative media, reminds me that sometimes the squeaky wheel gets the grease. If there's one thing to be said in favor of the Republican Party, it's singularly conservative focus and loud use of morally driven fear tactics, foster cohesion remarkable in its ability to garner press if not the vote. I may not agree with the tactics but I can’t argue with its effectiveness. But the backlash has become too divisive, and the voice of democracy, which ultimately demands compromise, has been drummed into submission or exile.
The current incarnation of conservative backlash is a well funded and very loud mix of the financially oppressed, the seemingly persecuted, and their benefactors. They generally seem to believe our government is willful if not spiteful with it's intrusion into our lives. Embodiments of faith, morality, and purity of character can be heard and are mixed with calls for fiscal discipline and the demonizing of entitlements. Conservatives defend ideologically driven wars, demand deficit and budget reduction, and decry intellectualism at every instance that presents itself. The many forms of conservative tribulation yields messaging that the fear of the others in our society, demands action.
The current Republican amalgamation, I like to call messianic conservatism, has given rise to the formation of a common language of outrage. Outrage designed to solicit funds, drive citizens into activists and drive voters to the polls. Its roots firmly planted in history, the narrative of today mixes populism with religious overtones. I think it can be universally agreed, that there is one voice among conservative narratives that still haunts with its commonsense, nonsense. Ronald Reagan.
Ronald Reagan’s genius included the formation of a new conservative narrative. His mastery of speech delivery brought evangelical key phrases into the debate, with his methodology of faint hints of persecution. Denouncing foes of freedom with his high moral character, he won faithful hearts with rhetoric and conservative minds with populism. His innate ability to frame issues with moral imperative, individual responsibility, and/or disdain for government are regarded as Republican doctrine. The problem with this viewpoint is that it requires a moral judgment be made and agreed upon, before any legislative decisions can be made, effectively stopping democracy, in favor of tribalism.
Twenty-one years after leaving office, his narrative of calling for a more moral based character, still carries the ability to brand any opposition with an evil stigma and pushes a fearful mass to vote Republican. Reprehensibly obstinate and yet endlessly entertaining, the newest incarnation of conservative populism are the Tea Partiers. A group best described as a loose knit group of special interests, who through the funding of activists, gin support for favored legislation, spread messianic conservatism, but mostly elicit campaign contributions. These people are pissed off but don’t generally contribute hordes of cash to PACs and therein lies the Republican failure. The base voter may be obstinate, but probably lives hand to mouth. These people buy trinkets of fealty, not access to power.
The late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, said "The central conservative truth is that it is culture, not politics, that determines the success of a society. The central liberal truth is that politics can change a culture and save it from itself." Sign me up for this viewpoint as well.
The culture of any society is limited by its ability to learn, to educate, its beliefs, and its values. The conservative viewpoint, ultimately, is that a society’s success relies on its shared set of mores. With mores largely formed via religious doctrinaire, I think obvious the ramifications and the necessity of enabling a more secular state.
The believers among us are the majority but through cultural growth, are mostly moderate in their beliefs and values. Gone are the days of persecution in the name of God and justice doled through torturous rapture. Or so we thought, as it seems we find ever newer targets for fearful aggression. The crusade of moralists permeating our culture threatens to usher in new wars on terrorism, as it has on immigration, abortion, and gay rights. Established law, equal rights, and facts seem to have liberal bias.
I do know organized religions have a remarkable history of furthering societal needs. Through the founding of hospitals, organizing of food banks, homeless shelters, and administering general aid in times of crisis, they have shown themselves to be truly worthy of praise. I do have a question however, Yahweh vs. Allah? Who wins? Does anybody really win in this rapacious war?
The cultural war continues as it has throughout history. Those who can afford it, dictate to the lesser of us, retribution is seen as justice, and the real devil is sex, sex, sex. We are profoundly lost, fearful and brutal in response; our society wrestles the tenets of its own beliefs while assuming our cultural mores light the world.
Though quickly bogged down in utter incredulity at the unabashed mass of ignorance, liberals do occasionally find a common voice and drown the volume of fearful drones and obsequiousness on its usual display. The last instance electorally, gave the country a new President and ended an entire decade lost to fearful thoughtlessness.
Democracy is like that though, ugly as it evolves and beautiful as it flowers. America’s social construct of civil rights, voting rights, entitlements, and fair labor laws were all fought for and won by a plurality of common voices requiring social justice be done. Less rigid in ideology, the Democratic Party can take solace in knowing the more democratic demography of its base constituency, will always be the source for real cultural change in America.
Good luck.