Jim Rutenberg of the New York Times writes:
But Romney has not yet been able to tap into the antigovernment, populist zeal in the party or convince more traditional conservatives that he is an acceptable standard-bearer in an election that much of the right hopes can not only unseat Mr. Obama but permanently shift the nation’s values and direction.
But values and direction do not necessarily go hand in hand. And that's the great danger faced by our country.
As the aging, white America transitions to a younger and more diverse nation, its values will reflect the new demography, especially in urban areas. But if the income disparity that has increased relentlessly since the 1980s (since 1980, the U.S. Gini coefficient has grown from from 40.3 to 46.8, the highest of any wealthy nation) is not reduced, financial power will continue to concentrate in conservative white hands.
Just as demographics drive values, financial power sets direction.
We are faced with a future in which our direction increasingly does not reflect our values, a future dictated by a financial elite with the overriding aim of reinforcing their power and position.
Already, conservatives rationalize lowering taxes on the wealthy and raising them on the poor as a matter of "fairness." Conservative policies like converting Medicaid into block grants for states would turn the health care safety net into a church donation. In the name of immigration reform, conservatives have mounted an aggressive attack on the Fourteenth Amendment, an amendment that is (or should be) as sacrosanct as the First.
These are their values. And left unchecked, conservatives might have the financial muscle to turn them into direction no matter what the majority of the country favors.