Monday, February 13, 2006

Conservatives with Apostate Problems

I have recently mentioned my admiration for Glenn Greenwald -- I'm using his post on summarizing the domestic spying scandal as an example in the new "meme theory/Say Ain't" article I'm still wrestling to the ground.

Mr. Greenwald wrote a great post yesterday on how "conservative" now seems to mean "I support George Bush" rather than, oh, limiting the intrusiveness of the federal government and fiscal responsibility. Basically, no matter what your long-held policy views or conservative bona fides, as soon as you say "I think George Bush might be screwing up job X", you get to star in the Broadway Revival of "Galileo vs, The Catholic Church", and you ain't playing the role of Pope Urban VIII, if you get the drift.

He was then, of course attacked by people who promptly confirmed his argument for him. Glenn's ability to boil down complex ideas into simple, clear concepts, and his equanimity in the face of idiocy without descending into my weakness -- snark, sweet intoxicating snark -- makes him a valuable voice in the current political miasma. Go read all his stuff.

I would merely advise Mr. Greenwald that when you say the same thing with jokes, nobody gets pissed off. Hell, I still get e-mails about putting that on t-shirts ...

16 comments:

moleboy said...

What we used to have was a real debate of ideas.
To be honest, while my passion is social liberalism, I can't deny that conservatives may have a point on economic issues (I really have no serious understand of economics, so there's a real question there as to whether or not I should have an opinion).
What we are seeing here now is more like religion.
You are either with Bush or against him.
You are either with Mohammed or against him.
You are either with Jesus or against him.
Bush is the Alpha and the Omega.
There is no thought.
Just The Word.

Anonymous said...

If you don't make the shirts, I'm gonna. No fair putting that idea in the world and then not following through.

Anonymous said...

I have serious concerns that our country is going to go through a very big change in 2008.

I wonder what it would take to keep Bush in office in the election year? Perhaps a nuclear bomb that detonates in a large (not Washington DC, of course) city, and thus reacting by enacting a "we're at war, we can't change now!" law that leaves him in power?

I will breath a very large sigh of relief once Bush leaves office, but only if someone who isn't just like him enters it...

moleboy said...

well, it would appear that a Maryland Democrat would like GW to stay in office indefinately

Hadyn said...

What would Bush the Younger have to do to get his current harem of supporters to say "That was a bad call Chief?"

Like if he raised taxes 250% would it be ok to hassle him then? Or orphan shooting?

I suggest that for a clear and open debate that you pick up the phone and speak down it in a loud clear voice "I do not support the actions of the current administration".

Hang up.

Then you and your neighbours can speak to the guys who arrive to detain you and your family.

Hadyn said...

Oh make sure at least one of your neighbours has a pitchfork and that you have an ample supply of flaming torches.

It ain't a monster hunt without torches!

van.mojo said...

You know, it's weird, I have also noticed this recently.

I liken to the cognitive dissonance of the sucker/con dichotomy, which is just a fancible way of saying that no one wants to be the sucker!

So instead of whinging about getting taken for a ride by a cheap gang of hustlers, they pretend that this is exactly what they signed up for in the first place.

And as long as they are willing to do that, the cadre is more than willing to lend them enough rhetorical rope to hang themselves such as the relative comfort and support of being able to call themselves "conservatives" when their government and elected leaders are acting more like Stalinists...

No, no... such a nice boy... just lie back and think of Texas...

mojo sends

The Film Diva said...

Thanks for linking to Glenn. His post today is fantastic, and I'm backtracking all over the web to get folks to read it and act upon his excellent suggestions. I think we all need to start sending out letters to the editor of every small, local, regional paper and get people in on the discussion of what our America should look like...

Anonymous said...

What we used to have was a real debate of ideas.

Well, there's still read debate of ideas to be had between conservatives and liberals -- it's just that in order to recognize it as such, you have to disregard what the movementarians imagine "liberals" to be.

Movement conservatism, which has always been distinct from conservatism in the wider sense, pretended to want a real debate of ideas, but to one degree or another had actually ceased to regard fellow Americans as genuine citizens a long time ago. The primary difference of the Age of Bush is that the mask is being peeled away to a degree never seen before, making the derangement and delusion more easily visible.

Anonymous said...

So who gets to run the Canadian Compound once those men in the black suits and dark glasses haul you away in the middle of the night? I've got over an acre on the outskirts of Vancouver if you need a place to hide....

Anonymous said...

I heard a really good observatuion last night - Our discourse in this country has gotten so looney that if a pundit or politician is only half nuts instead of all-out bonkers, he or she often comes off as a voice of reason. Sad but true.

And I have to agree with Glenn G.'s assessment about the current crop of so-called conservatives.

I know some true Republicans. Their beliefs on a host of issues, but particularly foreign policy, conflict with those espoused by the right's chattering class.

But, then, the folks I know actually do things like, oh, read newspapers and apply critical analysis to issues. I don't always agree with views. But at least they base things on facts.

Facts. You know, things the Charles Krauthammers and Ann Coulters of the world avoid.

On to more critical topics: When does Blue Beetle hit the stands?

Ara said...

Greenwald is great reading.

P.S. Please kill that spam from the previous comment right away -- that stuff has a tendency to spread.

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