Regardless Of The Issue, It's All About Conservatives
What amazes me the most about the current political landscape in America is the phenomena surrounding conservatives. If you were to go by TV news, cable shows and newspapers, you would believe that they are simultaneously a small and yet powerful component of our political makeup. Pundits (mostly conservative) complain on a weekly basis about the "liberal media," despite the fact that conservative thought pretty much dominates talk radio, newspaper readership (where liberal thought is supposed to reign) is on the decline and there's an entire news organization dedicated to promoting the conservative agenda. Protests against the Iraq War or for Gay Rights go virtually ignored while protests against taxation turn into a national movement. Health care reform, an issue that helped get Barack Obama elected, has now been transformed into "government-run socialism" or something to that effect.
In truth, it's not hard to see why conservatives in America are so newsworthy; depending on which party is in power, they are either participants of a revolution or part of an oppressed political faction. They are never just "around," like anarchists, libertarians, or pacifists. Think about the last political story and ask yourself, "Was there a conservative take mentioned?" Now ask that same question about the political story that came out before that. Whether the story was HCR, Evan Bayh's retirement, Snowmageddon vs. Global Warming, or Michelle Obama's crusade against obesity a conservative opinion was either asked for or given. They forcibly keep themselves relevant, whether in conjunction with the Republican Party or independently.
Going back to Sen. Bayh: how many times in recent history has congressional shakeups been spun as bad news for the GOP by the major news organizations? From my admittedly casual viewing, since the 2006 midterms the majority of exits, retirements and curtain calls have been framed as disastrous for the Democrats. Why? One could argue that the media has a more conservative bias, but if that bias was that strong I really doubt the Democrats would have garnered that majority they currently hold.
My own theory is that conservatives, who side with the GOP but don't exactly own it, can disassociate themselves with Republicans that hinder their cause. Nixon almost got impeached? He wasn't really a conservative. George W. Bush didn't privatize Social Security and attack Iran? That's because he was a "compassionate conservative," aka, not a real one. John McCain lost an election? Well, his "maverick" nature leaned toward liberalism; if was more conservative, he would have won. Conservatives, particularly the ones we see on TV everyday, have this "uncanny" ability to adapt (and my God, can they ever adapt) to whoever's the face of their movement until that person (or group) have served their purpose, then they move on to the next "host."
(I'd say this is a skill that liberals or even libertarians can't replicate; liberals have a innate desire to build consensus and libertarians tend to be more individualistic. Neither of those traits lends to a person who's willing to be buddy-buddy with someone until the well runs dry.)
But if you think about it, even liberals are guilty of using the conservative prism. Most postings are about how some liberal upstaged a conservative, or how some conservative is doing something crazy or how a particular issue is/has been/will be co-opted by the conservative machine. If Sarah Palin was a liberal, stories about her wouldn't be plastered in half of the political blogosphere.
Unless it's something I write myself or find from another blogger, it's hard to find anything political that doesn't have a conservative angle: either from the tone of the story or the actual subject matter. They're either a group of sinister, greedy warmongers or the last beacon of sanity and justice in the country; there's no middle ground.
Personally, I think it's an ideology that's being co-opted by corrupt people. I always believed true conservatism was about preserving the good things we had and not changing just for the changes sake. Today's conservatism, especially in America, seem to want to take us back to a fictionalized 1950's environment you'd only see in "Leave It To Beaver" or the movie "Pleasantville," and they'll willing to do anything to take us back there. And that's just the surface; because anyone who's lived in or studied that era knows it was before Woman's Suffrage, Civil Rights, Labor Laws, anti-war protests and a number of movements that made America more diverse and tolerant.
In truth, it's not hard to see why conservatives in America are so newsworthy; depending on which party is in power, they are either participants of a revolution or part of an oppressed political faction. They are never just "around," like anarchists, libertarians, or pacifists. Think about the last political story and ask yourself, "Was there a conservative take mentioned?" Now ask that same question about the political story that came out before that. Whether the story was HCR, Evan Bayh's retirement, Snowmageddon vs. Global Warming, or Michelle Obama's crusade against obesity a conservative opinion was either asked for or given. They forcibly keep themselves relevant, whether in conjunction with the Republican Party or independently.
Going back to Sen. Bayh: how many times in recent history has congressional shakeups been spun as bad news for the GOP by the major news organizations? From my admittedly casual viewing, since the 2006 midterms the majority of exits, retirements and curtain calls have been framed as disastrous for the Democrats. Why? One could argue that the media has a more conservative bias, but if that bias was that strong I really doubt the Democrats would have garnered that majority they currently hold.
My own theory is that conservatives, who side with the GOP but don't exactly own it, can disassociate themselves with Republicans that hinder their cause. Nixon almost got impeached? He wasn't really a conservative. George W. Bush didn't privatize Social Security and attack Iran? That's because he was a "compassionate conservative," aka, not a real one. John McCain lost an election? Well, his "maverick" nature leaned toward liberalism; if was more conservative, he would have won. Conservatives, particularly the ones we see on TV everyday, have this "uncanny" ability to adapt (and my God, can they ever adapt) to whoever's the face of their movement until that person (or group) have served their purpose, then they move on to the next "host."
(I'd say this is a skill that liberals or even libertarians can't replicate; liberals have a innate desire to build consensus and libertarians tend to be more individualistic. Neither of those traits lends to a person who's willing to be buddy-buddy with someone until the well runs dry.)
But if you think about it, even liberals are guilty of using the conservative prism. Most postings are about how some liberal upstaged a conservative, or how some conservative is doing something crazy or how a particular issue is/has been/will be co-opted by the conservative machine. If Sarah Palin was a liberal, stories about her wouldn't be plastered in half of the political blogosphere.
Unless it's something I write myself or find from another blogger, it's hard to find anything political that doesn't have a conservative angle: either from the tone of the story or the actual subject matter. They're either a group of sinister, greedy warmongers or the last beacon of sanity and justice in the country; there's no middle ground.
Personally, I think it's an ideology that's being co-opted by corrupt people. I always believed true conservatism was about preserving the good things we had and not changing just for the changes sake. Today's conservatism, especially in America, seem to want to take us back to a fictionalized 1950's environment you'd only see in "Leave It To Beaver" or the movie "Pleasantville," and they'll willing to do anything to take us back there. And that's just the surface; because anyone who's lived in or studied that era knows it was before Woman's Suffrage, Civil Rights, Labor Laws, anti-war protests and a number of movements that made America more diverse and tolerant.
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