Freepers Ponder the end of the conservative movement

[NJmaverick]

Pretty interesting and amuzing reading.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1737634/posts

[Skidmore]

1. Interesting.

Conservatism will fail again and again because it seeks to keep humanity shackled in the past or in a stagnant pool. What these people do not understand is that freedom, equality, and justice are communal or social concepts. They cannot exist without the presence of others. It is not the power of one or rugged individualism that is paramount, but it is the permission of society as a whole to allow all to participate circumscribed by agreed upon rules. Humans, by nature, are socialistic in their tendencies. It is the social unit that ensured the survival and evolution of mankind as a species. It is socialism in the sense of combined effort on agreed upon goals that generates progress. I am a proud proponent of socialistic thought--embracing the idea of the "other-centered culture" as the idea. A basic Christian teaching too...do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

[JunkYardAngel]

2. Socialism and immorality?

"Being "conservative" will never inspire Americans to reject socialism and immorality."
Seriously?
:rofl:

[meegbear]

3. Gotta love their "logic" ...

and :party: WELCOME ABOARD!! :party:

[DoYouEverWonder]

4. They're going to be pondering the end of Free Republic

now that this fake anthrax story is breaking.

[malaise]

12. Now that 'hanging Chad's fate is known

Credit to the genius who came up with that.:D

[progdonkey]

16. clue me in...

What fake anthrax story? Is it recent, or something a while ago that has just slipped my mind?

:shrug:

[NJmaverick]

18. A freeper has been arrested for fake anthrax letters

he sent to various celebrities

[progdonkey]

21. oh, okay... I actually turned on the TV at the very end of a report on that this morning...

They were showing Jon Stewart being interviewed on the red carpet and the heading said, "Arrest in Mail Threats," or something like that, and just didn't make the connection when I saw your post. (8am, what can I say? ;-) )

[Clark2008]

23. Including to our DU favorite - Keith Olbermann. eom

[Bunny]

19. Here's a link:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=2701099

Fantastic detective work here! :thumbsup:

[progdonkey]

22. cool...

So, is it finally official that FreeRepublic harbors terrorists? :toast:

[Chorophyll]

5. It freaks me out

That one of these guys has that Paleologus quote about Mohammed as his signature line. I feel like I need to be decontaminated after I read their crap.

[trotsky]

6. "It persuades me that the conservative agenda is an agenda that just keeps losing ground."

Well, yeah, all you have to do is look at history to see that the conservative side ALWAYS loses in the end. It's why we no longer burn witches, have serfs or slaves, etc. Sheesh, they're only now realizing this?

[NewJeffCT]

7. It won't die, but it will hopefully be discredited for a few decades

After conservative "Trickle Down" economics led to the Great Depression that started in 1929, and many top conservatives in the 1930s advocated appeasement (or even alliance with) Hitler & Mussolini, the conservative movement was discredited for decades, and it took them until Reagan in 1980 to come back, and then until 1994 to take control of Congress.

Now, with out-of-control deficit spending, a huge gap between the richest & everybody else, and conservative leadership constantly appeasing tyrants & terrorists, we can hope that modern conservatism will go away for a few decades again, where Republicans have to prove how they support moderate & progressive principles, like Ike did in the 1950s.

[BoneDaddy]

8. Conservatism as "defensive"

What the hell is this guy talking about. From the minute Clinton took the presidency up until this past election, the "conservatives" have been the most rapid attack pit bulls and it was this over aggressiveness that finally did them in and left them fighting for pieces of "political meat" on the floor.

The author has his head up his ass.

[NJmaverick]

11. It's defensive in the sense that it defends social injustices

Historically society has become more enlightened and just as time passes. The conservative movement attempts to defend society from these positive changes. Hence his claims that conservatism is a defensive ideology. He is not referring to the tactics employed but the underlying ideas.

[momster]

9. The most interesting post there....

is from the guy who is complaining about his son, having gone to public school and been indocrinated into their evil ways, rolls his eyes until his dad is finished ranting about the 'hell-in-a-handbasket' direction the country is taking (all that immorality and liberality, doncha know). Dad then goes on to say how he can't wait until his marriage to a Left-Coast Liberal is over so he can move to the midwest and be among decent people. Um...gee, Dad, just can't imagine why your son isn't too thrilled with any of your points of view at this stage. And maybe it was less the schools teaching him tolerant and liberal ways than his *mother*. Enjoy your move to the middle states but don't expect to see your kid much...you'll be the parent he and his family don't want to visit at Thanksgiving. That will give you more to complain about so everyone will be happy.

[noonwitch]

10. There are some good points about the defensive nature of conservatism

But I don't think conservatism is dying any more than liberalism is. The conservatives and the religious right lost the culture war a long time ago, and they can never win it back. They'll win some political battles here and there, but the majority of people in this country do not want to return to the 50s. The GOP mistook fear of terrorism for endorsement of their extremely conservative ideas in the last 3 election cycles.

[TheCowsCameHome]

13. They should celebrate with a Jim Jones style Kool-Aid party

Morans.

[crim son]

14. At least the comments are better spelled/expressed

than is usual on FR. What amazes me though is how they cannot see what is right in front of them: conservatism cannot win against liberalism in the long run for one reason... because it seeks to impose its values and judgements instead of responding to the inevitable changes in those values and judgements.

[Maeve]

15. please give us quotes instead of just a link

Some of us won't soil our browsers by going over there :puke:

But that doesn't mean we don't want to laugh along :P

[City Lights]

17. As they ponder their "movement," I hope they remember to flush!

:D

[Irreverend IX]

20. The main problem with conservatism...

Is that its ideological basis is very emotional. Conservatives wax nostalgic about the "good old days" and look with fear and distrust on new developments in society. In many ways, fear has become the basis of the conservative movement, as reinforced by Rush Limbaugh and the RW pundits' chorus. I remember that columnist on TownHall.com who titled one of his articles "Liberals Are Going to Get Us All Killed."

That's not to say there isn't a rationale behind conservatism, but logic has been departing conservative thought since the days of Barry Goldwater. Nixon's impeachment really spelled the end of rational conservatism; some of his efforts, like expanded environmental protection, made sense from a "conservative" standpoint, but after he was undone by his own ruthlessness conservatives forgot about any high ideals they may once have had and hitched their wagon to whoever could offer them greater power.

When the religious right and the corporatists took over the Republican party from the 70s to the 80s, they found that the nostalgia and faith in "the way things used to be" could easily be twisted to their ends, and the rest is history. Conservative thought, which questions and tests new developments, is as vital to a free society as liberal thought. Unfortunately, conservative thought is by its nature easily twisted to the ends of the greedy and dishonest, and that is what is causing US conservatives' downfall. Liberalism is not immune to corruption either, though, and Democrats will have to be wary of DLC types as they take over the government.

[NJmaverick]

24. All ideologies are based on some emotions

The conservative one is simply based on negative emotions like fear and hate.

[ComerPerro]

26. problem with conservatism is that it is built entirely on a lie

and its a huge paradox.



They don't really believe anything they say. They just say the things they do because it makes them feel good about themselves.

[Marr]

27. I think this particular movement has had a couple of inherent flaws:

1. One of their central tenets is that government is inherently bad. What sort of person sees government as a malignant force, and then seeks a position of power in the government? A crook. I think this is one of the fundamental reasons for the high level of corruption within the GOP.

2. It's a top-down movement, never intended to accomplish it's stated goals. The conservative movement is a product of marketing by big money interests. It's directed from the top, and it's real goals has been the concentration of wealth into fewer hands, and the undermining of the New Deal. All the things that conservatives think they're voting for can never be accomplished by their party, because they're only meant to rile the base for elections. Eventually, the base feels they're not getting anywhere... because they aren't.

[Irreverend IX]

28. I don't know that conservatism is invariably...

A puppet of big money interests, but it is very easy to turn it toward that purpose. That's the problem with its heavily emotional basis; just as with fundy Christianity, it's an irresistable target for hucksters looking to fleece the flock.

[Iris]

25. I'm having a real hard time seeing the "morality" that this guy

seems to think has taken over this country. Does he watch tv at all?