Riehl World View

While the Big D has come to mean playing defense for Obama. I saw this that warrants a comment. Apparently Bill Kristol mentioned Allahpundit from Hot Air in the New York Times regarding discussion around Obama’s refusal to debate Hi…

Jonah Goldberg, Liberal Fascism.

Gingrich himself was proclaiming that his speakership represented the dawn of a new Progressive Era, having always spoken fondly of earlier generations of liberals. Indeed, throughout the 1990’s, Republicans and conservative writers became enthralled with Progressivism. A veritable personality cult developed around Teddy Roosevelt, with one politician after another claiming his matle–chief among them John McCain, whose fondness for Roosevelt-style regulation borders on legendary.p400.

[As critics observe, McCain will continue] Karl Rove and Bush’s misunderstanding of conservatism by using “compassionate conservatism not as an alternative to Clinton’s Third Way politics but as a Republican version of the same thing.” … “the Bush team set out to make it clear that they saw the government as an instrument of love, Christian love in particular.” …”as a marketing slogan alone, it represented a repudiation of the classical liberalism at the core of modern American conservatism because it assumed that limited government, free markets, and personal initiative were somehow ‘uncompassionate’.” (p401)

Bush really is a different kind of conservative, one who is strongly sympathetic to progressive-style intrusions into civil society. What many conservatives, including Bush and Pat Buchanan, fail to grasp is that conservatism is neither identity politics for Christians and/or white people nor right-wing Progressivism. Rather, conservatism is opposition to all forms of political religion. It is a rejection of the idea that politics can be redemptive.

[In America,] a conservative is one who protects and defends what are considered liberal institution in Europe but largely conservative ones in America: private property, free markets, individual liberty, freedom of conscience, and the rights of communities to determine for themselves how they will live within these guidelines. [This conservatism provided] for the only truly radical political revolution in a thousand years [1776]. The American founding stands within this tradition, and modern conservatives seek to advance and defend it. American conservatives are opposed on principle to neither change nor progress…The conservative understands that progress comes from working out inconsistencies within our tradition, not by throwing it away.

Conservatism believes that the role of the state should be limited and its meddling should be seen as an exception. If conservatism loses this general rule–as it has under George W. Bush–it ceases to be conservatism properly understood.(404)

FASCISM IS A RELIGION OF THE STATE. Any action by the state is justified to achieve the common good. The state takes responsibility for all aspects of life and seeks to impose uniformity of thought and action. EVERYTHING, including the economy and religion, must be aligned with its objectives. Any rival identity is “part of the problem, not the solution” and therefore defined as the enemy.

Contemporary American liberalism embodies all of these aspects of fascism. (22-23) Bush-ism is merely a concession to reality. In a polarized political culture, presidents must choose sides to get elected. (399) But such pragmatic concessions do not erase the fact that a politics based on taking care of a constituency with trinkets from the public fisc does profound violence to conservative principles. (400)

The problem is, we now live in a world conditioned by the progressive outlook. People understand things in progressive terms. (396) By subscribing to values relativism the multicultural welfare mommy state creates a climate where white Christians would be fools not to compete for control as mommy plays favorites; all people and groups compete for Mother’s love. (397)

We are all susceptible to the totalitarian temptation. (22)

McCain was among my last choices for the R candidate, and he does not inspire much hope on the homefront issues.

But he is a tough old gator.

And, in a world as dangerous as the one we inhabit, better a tough old gator -who you can half trust- than a pampered poodle and a harridan pitbull who you cannot.

Barring something utterly unforeseen, it’s two lame dogs or one semi-ambulatory reptile.

Lovely choices.

But I know who would directly chomp on Achmadinejad’s butt if it came down to it.

And which two would merely yap and run around in useless circles.

His pun used the very ridicule he seared Fred’s lean campaign; though Fred actively sought televised coverage and successfully manipulated debate of ideas to his own advantage, while in contrast Obama hides in the shadows. BHO regrets one thing only, that he talks too much. Obama has answered 8 questions and showed up 21 times, though “debate” hardly fits Obama’s participative performance. Why ask for more? Wouldn’t that be like asking for more than 10 Commandments?/sarc

Will it be left to conservatives like the estimable blogger “Allahpundit” (at hotair.com) to (sarcastically) state the obvious? “What’s the most efficient way to communicate with voters? Surely not at a massively promoted, televised, highly watched debate. Much better to hold a few town halls and meet and greets.”

Bill Kristol may hope for the day when Allahpundit gives him such a compliment.

Temperature in Hell: 0 degrees.

I’ll never forget waking up on the morning after the Florida primary, only to hear McCain had won it…

leftnomore on April 28, 2008 at 2:25 PM

…with the help of Democrats who switched party affiliation and voted for McCain. Heck, they had no incentive to vote in the Democrat primary, so why not perform their own “Operation Chaos” on us?

Percy on April 28, 2008 at 1:48 PM

Excellent! Very Kipling n’est-ce pas?

A McCain vote in November is a-prevention-of-these-two vote.

More positive I cannot be.

profitsbeard on April 28, 2008 at 12:50 PM

MCCAIN ‘08: A FLAMING BAG OF DOG POOP ON YOUR DOORSTEP, BUT THE OTHERS ARE LIKE A POOP SANDWICH.

No, no, no. If the conservatives vote for Obama or Hillary, the world and the U.S. will hold still for 4 years, and then give rise to the next Reagan. Please don’t ruin this ideal scenario for anyone profitsbeard.

Entelechy on April 28, 2008 at 1:06 PM

MCCAIN ‘08: WORSE THAN A POOP SANDWICH.

MCCAIN ‘08: SABOTAGING THE NEXT REAGAN.

Democrats taking the power from the people and putting it in the hands of the minority establishment? Who would have thought?

Since 2000?

Entelechy on April 28, 2008 at 1:08 PM

exactly, they only agree with it when they think it is on there side.

WE’RE NOT WORTHY!

And I love the way you recognize her political genius: “And Hillary’s wins could be chalked up to political genius on her part, but in reality, she has run a mediocre campaign at best.”

- The Cat

It was a disaster because every one of its assumptions were wrong. She assumed that 2008 was going to be a Democratic year and all she had to do was show up to win. She assumed that Democrats loved her because they loved her husband. She assumed that people were stupid enough to really believe being First Lady constitutes “experience.” She assumed that raising a lot of money in 2006 would scare off any serious challenger. And especially, she thought she would not have to answer to the Democratic base for her egregious and politically calculated vote for the Iraq war resolution. She completely misread the 2006 election and how fired up the Democratic base was against the war in Iraq.

At least by then Earth Mother Gaia will be happy and may grant humans another few years of pointless living.

I’ll never forget waking up on the morning after the Florida primary, only to hear McCain had won it and Fred had dropped out. Mitt was all but done and McCain was now the favorite for the nomination. My stomach went sour. How could this be? What has this man done to further conservative principles, besides giving the Iraq war effort some hope? Apparently, I am just not as informed as the Republican masses.

austinnelly on April 28, 2008 at 2:14 PM

You are right on the money. McCain does not deserve the Republican nomination.

No, no, no. If the conservatives vote for Obama or Hillary, the world and the U.S. will hold still for 4 years, and then give rise to the next Reagan. Please don’t ruin this ideal scenario for anyone profitsbeard.

I don’t know how many people hold that scenario; I’ve never subscribed to it. I think we’re screwed no matter what. I just don’t believe in rewarding someone with McCain’s record with a promotion. I don’t care who wins. None of them of deserve it; they all hold really bad positions that’s going to crater the economy in one form or another. McCain probably will win; due solely to the absolute pathetic incompetance of the opposition candidates. What burns me up are the McCain bootlick squads running around declaring that McCain is going to ride into Washington like some kind of White Knight Crusader and clean things up. McCain is a bigger Washington insider than either of the other two. He’s no crusader. His type of politicking is part of what’s wrong in Washington. He has more faith in the views of opposition party Senators, than he does in the views of his own constituency. His record is being glossed over; his populism is a freaking sham. He’s the ultimate sell out wheeler dealer.
I accept this is the end of the GOP I knew and that I am unrepresented. I have no illusions about 2012 or beyond, except that these feckless lying a**clowns that we’re electing are going to f**k this country up and try to blame anyone but themselves. Snark away if you like. Your cr*p candidate is going to win..but at least have the common decency to be honest about what McCain is; he is not a conservative and he will not govern as one.

Three cheers for the Supremes! Indiana ID law upheld.

Red Pill on April 28, 2008 at 1:16 PM

Huck is no Reagan.

Perhaps. However, the entire nominating process for the Democrats scorns democracy.

ya think? LOL

good post. >:}

It’s clear to me that McCain agrees with Obama that faith in God is what bitter people cling to. McCain, Obama, and Clinton want us all to have only one faith- socialist secular humanism with government as the only deity.

highhopes on April 28, 2008 at 1:29 PM

I agree. McCain considers people like you and me “Agents of Intolerance”. The truth is we tolerate them but they don’t tolerate us.