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All kinds of prominent national figures are characterizing the 2012 presidential election as a key turning point, and in his latest column, E.J. Dionne Jr. agrees.
For the first time since Barry Goldwater made the effort in 1964, the Republican Party is taking a run at overturning the consensus that has governed U.S. political life since the Progressive era.
Obama is defending a tradition that sees government as an essential actor in the nation’s economy, a guarantor of fair rules of competition, a countervailing force against excessive private power, a check on the inequalities that capitalism can produce, and an instrument that can open opportunity for those born without great advantages.
Today’s Republicans cast the federal government as an oppressive force, a drag on the economy and an enemy of private initiative…. The GOP is engaged in a wholesale effort to redefine the government help that Americans take for granted as an effort to create a radically new, statist society. […]
Republicans are increasingly inclined to argue that any redistribution (and Social Security, Medicare, student loans, veterans benefits and food stamps are all redistributive) is but a step down the road to some radically egalitarian dystopia.
Given all of this, Dionne concludes that it’s Obama who’ll be “the conservative” candidate, not in the sense of a left vs. right construct, but in the sense that the president wants to conserve the foundations of the American government that have served the nation well over the last eight decades.
Dionne is, of course, completely right. We all use words like “liberal” and “conservative” in describing contemporary political disputes, but the words have lost their traditional meanings. There is, after all, nothing Burkean about the Republican presidential field — these are, in a literal sense, radical candidates with no real interest in conserving much of anything.
For example, Mitt Romney is supposed to be, in David Brooks’ terms, “the serious one” in the GOP field. But Romney also wants to privatize Social Security, eliminate Medicare, repeal all Wall Street reform safeguards, and attack Iran. When it comes to debt reduction, Romney believes a 10-to-1 ratio for spending cuts to tax revenue is too liberal, and he considers asking the wealthy to pay Clinton-era tax rates to be on par with communism.
And to many, Romney is seen as the moderate.
It’s against this backdrop that Dionne believes Obama “is the candidate defending the modestly redistributive and regulatory government the country has relied on since the New Deal.” For those who consider themselves “conservative,” at least in the traditional sense of the word, there’s not much to like in the Republican presidential field.
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c u n d gulag on December 26, 2011 10:59 AM:
Today's Conservative is actually a Nihilist.
And today, wearing "a good Republican cloth coat" is not enough for them.
No, they need to wear fancier coats - and make sure no one else but them and their kind can get any kind of a coat at all.
And nothing will be '"right" with the world,' until they and their kind are warm and toasty, and everyone else is shivering and dying from exposure.
walt on December 26, 2011 11:23 AM:
When the right practices class warfare, their most cogent argument is little more than a snarled racial epithet. It's how they got the white working class on their side, along with culture warriors convinced that their nostalgic concept of society can be revived via elections. Because this mechanism is itself so deeply irrational, it was inevitable that the Republican Party would become tainted by it. In effect, the American right is little more than a primal scream about its own demons and imaginary hells. Cui bono? The rich who pick their pockets while they vent about fetuses, etc.
Conservative isn't what it used to mean but if conserving society is what you want to do, plunging head first into the Ayn Rand cesspool will be low on your list.
Danek Duvall on December 26, 2011 11:35 AM:
I'd suggest reading Corey Robin's The Reactionary Mind, which does a good job of tying modern conservatism to the Burkean tradition. The thread is that in order to preserve the existing order (rich over poor), you have to destroy it and rebuild it. Hence a constant frame of warfare and oppression. "Conservatism" seems to be a word easily misunderstand, a property I think the conservatives use to great advantage to hide their radicalism.
Diane Rodriguez on December 26, 2011 11:42 AM:
Romney is termed "serious" because the optics recall the standard Republican of the past. Really, that's all you needed to see as a voter 30 years ago. White guy, money, wife, kids, air of entitlement. All the boxes checked. Changing demographics are driving the chaos on the right. The Tea Party wants to ride a white horse no matter what and their intransigent ignorance is pure fear.
Romney is a paper suit. He has no guts in the race just an all consuming lust to sit at the Resolute desk. He will be available to the highest bidder to reach that goal. I believe his pathetic lack of character and his incoherent narrative will become obvious when he must directly confront Obama. I sincerely hope that contrast is enough to overcome the wads of dangerous money spent to purchase Romney. I think this election is deadly serious.
g on December 26, 2011 11:57 AM:
To be fair, I don't think Romney believes the things he says. The only problem is, I don't know what he believes.
c u n d gulag on December 26, 2011 12:17 PM:
g,
My guess is the all-encompassing "N-O-T-H-I-N-G!"
No, I''m wrong - he believes he should be The President of the USA.
And that, is the sole extent of what he believes.
chi res on December 26, 2011 12:42 PM:
@Diane Rodriguez
Well said!
j on December 26, 2011 1:04 PM:
Romney is (and has been for the last six years) preparing to win, steal, pander, say anything and most importantly buy the election, a good example is how he buys his endorsements using a multi million dolloar fund he set up aS a charitable institution to buy support, he gave $100,000.00 to the Bush library and hey presto Papa Bush gave him an endorsement. Romney also gave a big chunk of money to a Catholic Fund challenging the health care law for allowing abortions.
rea on December 26, 2011 1:14 PM:
"Nihilists! Fuck me. I mean, say what you like about the tenets of National Socialism, Dude, at least it's an ethos"
T2 on December 26, 2011 3:58 PM:
There's not a lot to like about the GOP candidates? There is nothing to like about them. But millions of Americans will vote for the eventual nominee anyway. Maybe enough to put one in the White House.
David Martin on December 26, 2011 4:07 PM:
The weak economy almost ensures a Republican president will be elected in November. Congress could be a different matter. Voters dislike their own members of Congress as much as in 2008 and the Tea Party stuff seems to be waning. Maybe sitting members of Congress will lose indiscriminately.
Squeaky McCrinkle on December 26, 2011 5:02 PM:
"A tradition that sees government as an essential actor in the nation’s economy, a guarantor of fair rules of competition, a countervailing force against excessive private power, a check on the inequalities that capitalism can produce, and an instrument that can open opportunity for those born without great advantages."
Nice dream or a very long and somewhat flawed memory. I can't wait for Fox to make Hannity & Dionne a reality.
Doug on December 26, 2011 6:18 PM:
"For those who consider themselves 'conservative' at least in the traditional sense of the word..." Steve Benen
It worked for FDR.
Squeaky McKrinkle, after quoting the paragraph that you did, how can you justify your last sentence?
One of these days my congratulations will be first, but until then, I echo chi res: excellent summary Diane Rodriguez!
Old Uncle Dave on December 26, 2011 8:21 PM:
Odd that Dionne referred to Goldwater. Today's GOP would consider Goldwater a leftist.
bob h on December 27, 2011 6:13 AM:
"Today’s Republicans cast the federal government as an oppressive force, a drag on the economy and an enemy of private initiative…. "
When the likes of George Will whinge on about government acting as a drag and an enemy, I wish someone would ask them for specific examples. But no one ever does.