The End of Conservatism? = my comment=Depends

April 27, 2009

The End of Conservatism?

by Lee Edwards, Ph.D.

Heritage Lecture #1120

The modern conservative movement began as a Remnant with Albert Jay Nock and Frank Chodorov; grew into an intellectual movement with Friedrich Hayek, Richard Weaver, and Russell Kirk; blossomed into a political movement with William F. Buckley Jr. and Barry Goldwater; burst into full bloom as a governing movement with Ronald Reagan and The Heritage Foundation and other organizations; succumbed to hubris with Newt Gingrich and Tom DeLay; imploded under George W. Bush and the neoconservatives; and is now wondering whether it is headed for the ash heap of history. Let us begin our examination of the state of American conservatism with a little history. *** The link above under the subject is a long one a good read, but my comment below holds up red flags:

 

The pendulum swing into conservatism must provide for federalist foundation and not big government.  If the Neoconservatives want to be a part of the GOP , then stick around , but the days of big government GOP are over.  The difference between socialism and a National State at the Federal level is in name only.  The end results will be the same totalitarian fascist finish.

 

Teddy Roosevelt introduced the unconstitutional owning of property by the Federal Government, as far as I know.  True Hamilton was a Nationalist, but he lost the debate to Jefferson and Madison and we are by law a federalist Constitution.  One cannot pick and choose which law to ignore and which to adhere to.  By doing so, all law is then lawless by choice of a few.

 

"To begin with, it must have a clearly defined, consistent philosophy. It is a given that conservatives of all stripes honor the Constitution and its established system of checks and balances. They agree that government should be limited, individuals should be free and responsible, and there can be no lasting liberty without virtue--public and private.".

 

I have quoted the article above and wish to point out the flaws of reasoning that are detrimental to the future health of the Conservative movement if not corrected.  It is not a given that all conservatives honor the Constitution.  That is far from true.  Far!!!  It must be that all conservatives must uphold the Constitution as plank number one, educating the masses to it's value to freedom and liberty.  It cannot be a given.

 

To agree that government should be limited again leaving the door to big government wide open.  This article is very well written, but beware of the weightiness of it's gravitational pull back to the left, as our party has done since Teddy Roosevelt and before beginning in 1913.  Capitulation is the great evil that has beset the GOP and continues to drain it's true value.  Enough is the word.  It too must be front and center.

 

Speaking of the percentage of people who are polling this way or another by giving them labels does injustice to truth.  Those who call themselves moderate may be very conservative, but have found those who are calling themselves conservative are not so, but are self fulfilling entities.  How has one percent of the Nation come to possess 50% of the wealth?  Why, during what conservatives hold up to be a very conservative era of Reagan, did we see the beginning of a drain of prosperity in America due to the ignoring of the tax structure when implementing free trade. 

 

My hunch is that many of those on the fence are afraid of the corporate elites and find socialism a safer sphere, without a knowledge of what Communism provides, the same thing, less for the blue collar family.

 

As to the current passion by conservatives in this new age of communication will not go away this time around.  Never has our history of America been so dire and liberty and freedom in such danger.  It is the hope of those elitists in Washington that it will go away, but Americans from both parties and third parties are finding common ground in supporting the Constitution as written and are learning for the first time that each State is a Nation onto itself and holding to this principle is vital to our Nation's Truth in liberty and justice. 

 

As to T. S. Eliot, his thought is one of most of history, but to let it rule is a form of defeatist.  We have a set of Laws.  By simply going by them, you have become the winning party of the Future.  Ignore your grassroots now and a potassium GOP it is.

 

R. George Dunn