“Here is the core of a conservative appeal, without dwelling on ’social issues’ that should be, as much as possible, left to ‘moral federalism’ — debates within the states,” Washington Post columnist George Will wrote. “On foreign policy, conservatism begins, and very nearly ends, by eschewing abroad the fatal conceit that has been liberalism’s undoing domestically — hubris about controlling what cannot, and should not, be controlled.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
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51 Comments
If all the things Mr. Will had to say about conservatism were still true about the American conservative movement, I would still be proud to call myself a conservative.
However, modern practice among so-called “conservatives” now is cronyism, not conservatism. And it’s cronyism of the worst kind: It protects the moneyed interests with Washington connections from being held accountable by the less-well connected. It’s the kind of connections that allows eminent domain to be abused by developers, that allows pharmaceutical companies to escape responsibility for killing people, that allows major corporations to de-fund their pension plans while paying their top executives hundreds of millions in compensation while their companies collapse into bankruptcy.
There’s more like the above, of course; I could go on, and on.
Our government is supposed to exist to protect the rights of the individual. The original idea was to protect us from the power of government itself. But cronyism has extended that power of the government into our private lives in ways the original founders never imagined. The beneficiaries of the modern so-called “conservatism” aren’t the people; they’re the people with their hands, in one way or another, on the levers of that government power.
Cronyism exists on both sides of the aisle. I doubt seriously that’s the reason you switched sides Tom.
To be frank, you found comfort with the Liberals because of your Gay agenda in seeking “equality.” The Liberals give you a more boisterous voice.
But how is that working out for you? Gotten any better or is it just a bunch of hoo haa of the left?
As a conservative, you can do as you wish as long as you keep hands and feet inside the boat.
I would suspect you are more moderate than conservative though as you tend to stray from conservative point of view.
I consider my self moderate, not conservative. I do however subscribe to the premise of the conservatives and let them be with their belief systems…
Unlike the Liberals who take shots at them for their political ideology.
Conservatives are the heavy lifters in our society. They are the ones who you call to get a job done. It’s the moderates that tend to compromise conservative issues and gum up the works.
Of course, not everyone wants to wear a coat and tie, stand by their faith and obey the rule of law even if it means missing out on some fun in life.
Conservatives ‘get the job done?”"
Would that be like Katrina? Would that be like underfunding schools and old people in nursing homes?
“hubris about controlling what cannot, and should not, be controlled”
Would that be like scratching the backs of rich people who believe they have earned the right to stomp on the little people? Would that be like starting wars in foreign lands based on lies?
“Conservatives are the heavy lifters in our society. They are the ones who you call to get a job done. It’s the moderates that tend to compromise conservative issues and gum up the works.”And oh yes how well the extreme hard right has done so far with that getting the job done! Buddy the ole “My way or the Highway is fine“… But we are running out of highway and so is the hard right! If need be the moderates will just build a by-pass and leave the hard right at the rest stop. Hope the toilets are working OK for you!
Conservatives caused Katrina PMom?Did they cause the tornado damage in Kansas too?
You mean rich people like George Soros PMom?
You mean the lies about WMD that started in the Clinton administration?
“As a conservative, you can do as you wish as long as you keep hands and feet inside the boat.”
In other words, conservatives, in times of need, have no ability to think outside the box; they’re stagnant minds.
“You mean the lies about WMD that started in the Clinton administration?”
I’m trying really hard here, but I’m failing to find any war started by Clinton, nor am I finding American war dead piling up via any war started by Clinton.
“Conservatives caused Katrina PMom?”
No, but they did appoint the moron who was supposed to see help was there and ready to take care of national emergencies, which it was nowhere near close to doing.
“But how is that working out for you? Gotten any better or is it just a bunch of hoo haa of the left?”
I would expect that without the religious neo-cons, using bait and switch tactics to get elected, that gays might have an easier time leading a normal life than they do now. Bet that would bother you.
“I consider my self moderate, not conservative.”
“It’s the moderates that tend to compromise conservative issues and gum up the works.”
How’s that split personality working out for you? Been gumming anything, besides this blog, up lately?
Instead of responding to the points I make, the blank displays its own hubris as it tells me what I think, and tells me my motivations for my actions.
I can think of no better way to illustrate the very definition of “hubris.”
“No, but they did appoint the moron who was supposed to see help was there and ready to take care of national emergencies, which it was nowhere near close to doing.”
Since FEMA was the legacy of the previous administration, how well would they have reacted?
“I’m trying really hard here, but I’m failing to find any war started by Clinton, nor am I finding American war dead piling up via any war started by Clinton.”
The Clinton administration started the drumbeat of WMD and provided the intel for it. Let’s see what we got here:
“One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line.”President Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998.
“If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction program.”President Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998.
“Iraq is a long way from [here], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face.”Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998.
“He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983.”Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18, 1998
“Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process.”Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998.
Any questions or are you going to revise history again?
No revision necessary, republican. All I have to do is read the news to know bush started the war under false pretenses; that he wanted this war from day one; that he got his war, and thousands of Americans are buried because of it.
Clinton was intelligent enough to use diplomacy; bush was stupid enough to start the war and put us in a position of being the worlds watchdog. But isn’t that the United Nations job? And weren’t they doing that in Iraq prior to bush using known faulty intelligence as a “smoking gun” to start the war?
The question are rhetorical, but spin all you want. Your “war injuries” probably wont let you do anything else.
Like I said Jason, the Clinton administration held the identical views on WMD.
And what does my disability have to do with anything. It shows how contemptible the left has come when they use a disabled veteran injuries as an excuse of how they cannot justify their statements.
20 times the number of the losses in Iraq occur yearly in automobile wrecks and smoking. Where is your outrage there?
Or is it just too convenient for you to spew your Leftist ideology because it’s the “in thing?”
It’s sad that people like you exist Jason. The inability to see the truth and constantly revising history because they have a selfish political agenda.
That false pretense is yours Jason. It’s part of history, you cannot deny it, you can only spin it.
I see that Republican still has not volunteered to help bring democracy to Iraq.
Republican will never be anything more than a lying hypocrite.
“However, modern practice among so-called “conservatives” now is cronyism, not conservatism. And it’s cronyism of the worst kind: It protects the moneyed interests with Washington connections from being held accountable by the less-well connected. It’s the kind of connections that allows eminent domain to be abused by developers, that allows pharmaceutical companies to escape responsibility for killing people, that allows major corporations to de-fund their pension plans while paying their top executives hundreds of millions in compensation while their companies collapse into bankruptcy.”
Posted by: Tom | June 03, 2007 at 01:32 AM
You think these things are limited to “conservatives” or Republicans?Tom, you knokw better than that. One simple case in point. It was the LIBERAL justices that voted for the abuse of eminent domain.
And LJ, we ALL blasted against that, remember? Libs and Cons alike.
See, that’s the difference, we aren’t afraid to stand up to those on our side when they’re doing wrong.
And just like your side should have stood up against the SCOTUS decision last week about the equal pay. But I didn’t see any cons decrying that.
Republicon, you keep trying to blame the Clinton administration for starting this WAR, when Clinton himself said that he would have never done it in the same manner that Bush did. And he said that at the beginning of the war. So please, try to keep your blame where it belongs.
It’s not Republank’s fault that his posts are illogical and irrational. That’s just who he is.
For example, I criticized Bush for quoting the bogus report “The Internet Begins with Coal”, which exaggerated Internet electricity usage by a factor of about eight.
Republank thought(sic) that meant that I had turned “Uni-bomber” and “hated technology”.http://blogs.kansas.com/weblog/2007/05/at_least_bush_i.html#comment-71377088
I can’t disagree with Will that in the past, the Democrats have bitten off more than they could chew. However, their sentiments were correct:
a war on povertyexpansion of civil rightsenvironmental protection…
Although these never did succeed as fully as we would have liked, they did at least partially succeed. In addition, they were efforts to uplift what the republic stands for.
I don’t think the republicans can claim “victory” on any of their recent intiatives:
smaller governmentattempts to amend the constitution on every bombshell social issue
setting forth a policy of “first strike”
….
None of these (or many others) were attempts to uplift the standing of citizens or of the republic. While some things were (and still are) needed (budget reform, for example) they lack any particular sense of achieving something great.
There is a school of thought that says a society needs to strive for a shared goal..things like the race to the moon, a war on poverty, a New Deal or a square Deal; that when there is no great purpose or goal, the society becomes fragmented. I think we’re seeing that now. We need a Congess and Executive that have the vision to visualize some worthwhile goal and do something to implement it.
And LJ, we ALL blasted against that, remember? Libs and Cons alike.
See, that’s the difference, we aren’t afraid to stand up to those on our side when they’re doing wrong.
And just like your side should have stood up against the SCOTUS decision last week about the equal pay. But I didn’t see any cons decrying that.
Posted by: political_mom | June 03, 2007 at 11:18
I wasn’t on this blog after the Kelo decision, so I cannot make any comment about your response.
My comment was about Cronyism and BS is that comes from BOTH sides. I just used that as an example.The equal pay case was argued elsewhere, and I have no intentions to resurrect it.My continued contention is that if we continue to look at labels, we no longer look at individual candidates. It has been publically stated the some here would NEVER vote for a REpublican. How narrowsighted and biased. I guess since I am a REpublican, I should never look at a Democrat, because Democrats are (blah, blah, blah). Of course, since I voted for both Sebelius and Morrison, I guess I choose to look past labels. That was my point.
“One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line.”President Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998. ”
Since no WMD have been found, or the means to deliver them, doesn’t it seem as though former President Clinton was successful? This war was made possible by lies and cherry-picked intelligence.Republicant, you are tired.
As predicted, the Fisters who took a temporary vow to ignore me, have now come out in force with their troll nics.
What a bunch of hypocrites. ROFL!
Who cares what George Will thinks? This man is tiresome and has a one-track agenda – his OWN pockets.
I never vowed to ignore you. I don’t expect you acknowledge fact (see previous post). I don’t think you would acknowledge the nose on your face, unless it would help honor augustus stupidious.
Littlejohn,
I agree that both sides are sticking their hands into the trough. When I mentioned eminent domain, I was primarily thinking of how it’s practiced here in Wichita. I agree that Kelo v New London was stupidly decided; fortunately, the Kansas Legislature (and the legislatures of many other states) acted quickly to tighten eminent domain practices. The new Kansas statute is still flawed, however; it’s full of loopholes that benefit private developers, and still offers no real protection to the poorest and most vulnerable property owners.
I think, though that my original premise still holds up:
“it’s cronyism of the worst kind: It protects the moneyed interests with Washington connections from being held accountable by the less-well connected”
Another post by Republican means that he is still not willing to fight in the Iraq war that he supports (he wants other people to fight it for him).
Republican is nothing more than a lying hypocrite.
“It’s sad that people like you exist Jason. The inability to see the truth and constantly revising history because they have a selfish political agenda.”
Revisionist? CLINTON DID IT! CLINTON DID IT! That’s the republican mantra that is supposed to answer any and all questions concerning the Iraq war. Problem is, Clinton did NOT do it; bush did. So we have a foreign country in utter turmoil, dead Americans shipped home weekly in body bags, and all for a country that still thinks it’s okay to stone children.
“And what does my disability have to do with anything. It shows how contemptible the left has come when they use a disabled veteran injuries as an excuse of how they cannot justify their statements.”
You yourself has used your so-called disability to weasel out of any confrontation with a couple of bloggers here. Who’s the one denigrating those who actually received their injuries in the service of their country? Moron, thy name is Republican.
“You yourself has used your so-called disability to weasel out of any confrontation with a couple of bloggers here.”
No I didn’t Jason, I was waiting for them to set a time, they never did. They have a schedule, I don’t.
Besides, when they see me, they’ll find out that I had nothing to fear from them. :)
“No I didn’t Jason, I was waiting for them to set a time, they never did. They have a schedule, I don’t.”
Jason, Republank has wimped out on XXX and CapnAmerica. He always has an excuse.
He will never show up. He talks like he is Clint Eastwood, but he is actually Don Knotts.
Another post by Republican means that he is still not willing to fight in the Iraq war that he supports (he wants other people to fight it for him).
Republican is nothing more than a lying hypocrite.
Every time Republican posts, he misses another opportunity to join the war in Iraq and stand up for what he pretends to believe.
Are all Republicans hypocrites like you?
Ahhh, happy the troll appears once again. Too scared to post under his usual nic.
I’ve only explained to happy that i’m a disable vet and too old to go to Iraq.
But he likes his soup cold and his brain fried on drugs.
I do hope you get some help for your disorder happy. Going around life as a nitwit is not a pleasant thing.
As I’ve said before Republican, you can go to Iraq and help even though you may be old and disabled.
You CHOOSE not to for reasons known only to you. How about your children, wife, relatives…have they volunteered?
The truth is you COULD go and help in Iraq but you refuse to. For that I call you a lying hypocrite.
Happy, Republank was never been married, has no children and is a virgin.
happy,
Republank can’t go to Iraq.
He wants warmer winters, so he’s too busy posting lies here that humans aren’t causing global warming.
Thank the merciful God!
That’s at least half a dozen times WSClark has broken his vow of silence. No discipline what so ever.
Actually, I like warm winters Cosmos. Snow in Kansas other than providing moisture does little to help the economy.
Again happy, seek help…your poorly trained mind is creeping into your inner Lib.
“Ahhh, happy the troll appears once again”
My God, the real troll is accusing others of trolling?
Let me think here: JM, Paul, Republican, blank, tried to use J M Walker, linked to a phony site as XXX. No telling how many others. Damn, boy, you got more names than a pornstar.
Say what you will Republican but again I challenge you to go help out in Iraq.
Why won’t you if you believe so strongly in the “cause”?
Disability and age are excuses and not reasons. Dig deep, what is the real reason you won’t go to help buddy Bush?
“Besides, when they see me, they’ll find out that I had nothing to fear from them. :)”
Now THAT’S humor.
So which troll are you jason? You suddenly appear and know everyone on the blog – interesting.
I’m digging deep happy and the only thing I can find are the beetles in your grave eating away at your decayed flesh of godless immorality.
Jeez, a new poster showing up and knowing everyone, knowing all about the blog and it’s history……
Damn, who does that sound like?
JM? Eier? Uncle William? “blank?” RepubliKhan?
Hmmmmmmmmmm…………….
Damn, I even remember someone saying that you could post under as many nics as you wanted because he didn’t care…….
I’m jason, Republican, your worst nightmare. Sleep well:-)
jason, meet double barrel 10 gauge. :D
I only care when Libs claim they never troll, then do it.
Jason, what he means is it is okay for him to troll, post under multiple nics and to steal the nics of other posters, but he is offended if someone else does it.
And of course, if he doesn’t have anything else to say, he will accuse others of trolling.
He can accuse others, but he himself is as clean as the driven snow…..
Yeah, right.
“It has been publically stated the some here would NEVER vote for a REpublican. How narrowsighted and biased. I guess since I am a REpublican, I should never look at a Democrat, because Democrats are (blah, blah, blah). Of course, since I voted for both Sebelius and Morrison, I guess I choose to look past labels. That was my point.”
I agree littlejohn,I’m an Independent for the reason you describe. Too bad the republican party won’t let us vote in the primaries.I added one more to your list.I voted for Boyda, and I’m happy with the choices.
“Since FEMA was the legacy of the previous administration, how well would they have reacted?”
Where on earth did you get that idea?
FEMA may have been passed down to Bush just like other departments in government, but the “legacy” belongs to Nixon.
“How narrowsighted and biased”
Jeez, did you folks impeach our president for political gains, knowing that you did not have the votes to convict? Did you folks not spend $75 million in the Nineties to investigate the president, but are now resisting every effort to investigate the Bush Administration? Did your name Dan Burton issue 1,000 subpoenas against the Clinton Administration and then claim that the Democrats are now abusing the subpoena?
Are you folks a bunch of hypocrites or what?
Vote Republican?
When Republicans apologize for impeachment, I will consider a vote for a Republican.
Not until.
Republank,
“Actually, I like warm winters Cosmos.”
Then MOVE to a warmer climate, instead of lying about human-caused global warming.
He is going to go to a warmer climate, Cos, it’s just a matter of time.
I give it five years before he blows a gasket and shuffles off this mortal coil.
“jason, meet double barrel 10 gauge. :D
I only care when Libs claim they never troll, then do it.”
More sluggish humor from the grandam of trolls. I’m chuckling and chuckling.
On topic, though, while I disagree with most of Will’s writing, I like the fact he writes so well. The man uses the English language better that most columnists. He does, however, on this particular column, have it mostly correct.
If only Clinton had declared war on Iraq, to remove Saddam (which, coincidentally, when Bush’s war drive was just beginning, I told a friend that I could support it, if we had a competent CIC) the mission would truly have been accomplished. There would have been planning for what came after Saddam’s removal, not the play it by ear leadership we’ve had, and the man apparently has a tin ear!
I’ve never said I wouldn’t vote for a republican. I did, for two- in the last election.
I will NOT vote for any Republican into a high powered office right now.
I will reconsider it when the party reforms itself, but till then, yours is the party of right wing fascists, and power hungry rich guys who want to take more power and money from the poor. And that I will not have. The appointment of the SCOTUS judges in the past two years is a good example of that.
Well,
obviously some have bought into strictly partisan politics. That’s fine. It’s a free country. However, when you refuse to look at a candidate solely because of the party he belongs too, in my mind the country loses. I guess only the Democrats have a lock on honesty, integrity, and intelligence, and every Democrat is a winner. Straight party ticket, that’s the way. Geesh. The matrix is real.