A Costly Victory Perhaps
Clark Stooksbury has linked to this post, in which I refuted Jim’s statement that conservatism is dying, by declaring it victorious.
Clark makes some good points.
Conservatism is in roughly the same position as liberalism was in forty years ago–it has some achievements but has bumped up against reality.
I sort of agree with that statement. No political ideology in America can be completely successful. That representative democracy thing kind of prevents that.
After pointing out that it was “conservatives” who created the Department of Homeland Security and passed the Medicare entitlement, Clark makes the following statement.
I remember my younger days–when I was a standard issue rightwinger– salivating at the roll back we could have accomplished with a Republican president and congress. It turns out that when it happens, government expands.
I can totally relate to what he is saying. Like most, I was extremely disappointed when the Republican Congress and President expanded government, instead of shrinking it. The Republicans certainly failed us. But when you look at the type of Democrats that won first term elections in 2006, a lot of those guys are moderate or even conservative. It seems like that when the Republican Party began trying liberalism, it began to lose. Perhaps they should once again try conservatism.
I doubt they will do that though. The lure of government is strong. Guess we’ll just have to hope for more gridlock.
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Hopefully, the Democrats will raise the marginal tax rates to the point where the most selfish among us will move to a Blackwater-guarded South American backwater, like some other dudes did, 60-some years ago.
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Your kidding, I hope.
Not in the least.
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And, not to steal William’s thunder, but this is from October, 2006.
Makes one wonder.
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