One of the key reasons America votes conservative is that it has never had a government that will adequately protect the individual, so they're into the business of protecting themselves. Here's an interesting link on the red-blue split and what it means for Democrats...
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/09/30/opinion/main20113805.shtml?tag=re1.channel
Edge,
ReplyDeleteHere is my problem with the referenced article:
“Michael G. Franc is vice president of government studies at the Heritage Foundation [my bold].”
In case you are unfamiliar with the Heritage Foundation, it is an archconservative stink tank founded by Paul Weyrich and Joseph Coors and supported by the Koch Foundation. It is infamous for putting out highly partisan and biased reports based on dubious and often bogus research. Case in point:
“… for the increasingly radical leftist leadership of the modern labor movement [please note biased phrasing] … it's all the more reason for conservatives to reinvigorate efforts to liberate union members from being required to pay dues against their will.”
Except for the fact that this statement contradicts events in Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ohio where there have been mass demonstrations in the streets in protest against union-busting and the outlawing of dues collection. Careful what you read.
And even if there were a grain of truth to the above, consider this: 30 years of wage stagnation, 10 years of wage deflation, and 3 years of deep recession may also mean household budgets are severely constrained, although pro-union sentiments are on the rise. Careful what you read.
Have you considered the hidden message inside the above quote? Union dues are an important funding source for the Democratic Party. Wanna cripple your opposition? Cut off their funding. Meanwhile the conservatives get all the funds they want from corporate donors ... rubber stamped by a conservative Supreme Court under Citizens United. This is how proto-fascism works.
Wanna rig elections in favor of conservative candidates? Suppress the vote with mandatory voter IDs, longer voter registration hours in GOP districts, and short hours in Democratic districts. Disenfranchise minority, senior, and student voters who traditionally vote liberal. This is how proto-fascism works.
There are also junk articles from the left that are equally misleading, such as How Anti-Authoritarians Can Transcend their Sense of Hopelessness and Fight Back, an dull expose on critical thinking that offers not even a hint on how to fight back. The title is a teaser; the body text fails to deliver. How vapid!
Personally, I prefer the more proactive approach. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Frame arguments clearly and succinctly (a lesson the left can learn from the right). Cite accurate and reliable data and do not let researcher bias skew your conclusions.
Finally demonstrate! Boycott! Get in their faces!
The goal of the Reagan era young conservatives and those born of the JBS extremists has always been to undermine peoples' belief in government. Thus when Americans are disillusioned enough with government they won't care about conservatives infiltrating and using the power of government to steal Trillions.
ReplyDeleteSums it up well, Gene, but I would say 'don't' instead of 'won't' because it's already happened.
ReplyDeleteAs you know, Octo, I appreciate your moral and political viewpoints. I also recognize the source of this op piece. I'm not defending the piece or picking a fight with the left or the right. I was making a different point, which is that understanding the motives driving conservatives is important. Most of us have conservative friends and neighbours. What are their concerns? Why do they think as they do? Is it some inherited gene (as some recent research suggests), is it simple greed or is it something else?
ReplyDeleteWhat intrigues me is the idea that conservatism and protection (a defensive stance) go together to create a system that preserves the status quo. It's antithetical to change.
And the article points out (however sketchily) that the resistance to change may be more endemic to American society than liberal change. That's all.
In the midst of ongoing Wall Street protests, that's interesting to me. Interesting in the sense that ordinary people, both left and right, now seem to want some change or at least some relief from the effects of unregulated rogue corporate elite behaviour.
In short, I was aiming at something beyond ideology or bending argument.