The one and only positive which we can take from the historical disaster known as the W Administration is that neoconservatism is dead. Its being killed off as we speak. Not by a progressive wave sweeping the nation, but by a revolt among Republican party wings not normally associated with each other: Chamber of commerce Republicans and faith based republicans.
Chamber of Commerce Republicans did quite well during the eight years preceding W, as Bill Clinton was the ultimate chamber of commerce president even if he was a Democrat.
Yet Clinton and his trusted aide Ron Brown were tireless boosters for American enterprise all over the world. Not only did they buy into globalization, but they made sure the US economy thrived in it.
The main opposition to Democrats post Clinton were not the business minded. The business minded under Clinton were too busy doing business and making tons of money to much care about the moral direction of the country, except maybe to pay lip service on the way to the bank.
W needed the faith based republicans to wrestle the nomination from McCain in 2000 and he made his pact with them. Or should I more correctly say Rove made his pact with them for him. In reality, Bush is a chamber of ommerce Republican. He is not a religious kook on the order of Dobson, Robertson, et al.
He is a mainstream Methodist for Chrissakes!
Which is why I disagree with our compatriots on the left who keep fanning the flames of paranoia in our ranks with their insistent rumors of impending Christian takeover of our cherished “democracy”, led by W with his bible in hand.
It aint gonna happen. The main men who truly arbitrate the Republican party are the money men, not the blood of christ men. And so it shall ever be.
And no, they are not one and the same.
Chamber of Commerce Republicans were not enamored of W in 2000 and still are not. They were less enamored of Gore, seeing him as a mushy sort of lefty idealogue intellectual sort like Jimmy Carter, all moralizing and dogooding without enough attention to the bottom line.
They voted for W because he was lowering their taxes. Period. All that followed, the lack of fiscal discipline, the illfated “war on Terror”, especially the sophomoric and expensive exercise in Iraq, the cronyism, the lack of fiscal responsibility even after the twin hurricanes, the botched management of government, all these the business republicans have swallowed with growing consternation.
“Whatever it takes to rebuild the gulf coast, but dont mind the deficits and lets make those tax cuts permanent!”
The C of C Republicans have finally had it. Now they see why Bush coulnt run even a small oil company. And, with the Miers nomination, which appears to be a deal to keep Roe v Wade untouched, the faith based Republicans whose support W needs to survive, have turned on him with the vengeance of, well, God.
Stay tuned. A civil war is brewing on the right.
America’s preeminent fundie, James Dobson, is quite happy with the Miers nomination. There is no “deal” to keep Roe v. Wade safe. Exactly the opposite is true.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/10/5/104722/784
From, today’s NYT:
“Already, the Senate’s most ardent advocate against abortion, Sam Brownback (R- Kansas), has said he is prepared to vote against Miers confirmation, even if he receives a personal plea from President Bush.”
If Miers is the one , as you suggest, who will tip the court agains Roe v Wade, it is odd that Brownback’s ALREADY decided to fight her confirmation.
I think the C of C Republicans and the neocons are about to find out just how much control the theocrats have over their party. Fortunately for us, the Democrats in Congress aren’t just trying to resurrect neoconservativism, they’re trying to fit both parties under the thumb of the theocrats! Joy joy!
I agree, Edarwaen.
The C of C Repubs have the money but the theocrats have the votes. I keep using California as ‘The Example.’ Not too long ago California was controlled by the GOP. Now they can’t elect to state-wide office – Arnold was the exception proving the rule – due to the candidates the GOP nominate.
I dont understand your point. Are you saying Arnold is a theocrat’s favorite? Prochoice socially liberal Mr. Kennedy Shriver?
I believe you are misreading the California electorate in the recall election.
Besides, Californians arent any too happy with Arnold these days, either. Have you seen his numbers lately? starting to freefall in Bushian fashion.
My badly made point was much narrower.
In my estimation Arnold would have never gotten the GOP nomination if he had gone through the primary process.
The theocrats are NEVER going to control the Republican party, much less the country.
Too much money being made in sinful enterprises, like beer and wall street, for that to ever happen.
You read it here first.
So what? Such sinful enterprises merely help the theocrats gain power. By railing against them, they can attract far more supporters than they ever could if they didn’t exist.
The “pro-life” movement is 100% theocrat constructed, supported, and operated. To believe otherwise is foolishness.
I agree with you that the Pro Life Movement is 100% theocrat constructed. Thats not the same as saying the theocrats control the republican party.
My view is that the average Christian rightwinger is a sheep, both literally and figuratively. Sure, there are some firebrands out there but the average Christian rightwinger, even fundamentalist, is not a fire breathing dragon for republicans. He votes republican, but mostly he is just some guy named Joe trying to get ahead in the world.
Thats not to say that there are some Christians who want to take over the world for Christ. There are just not enough of them.
My point is August Busch and Pete Coors are ultra conservatives but they are not supporting political groups who frown on drinking. I doubt many of the millions of drunken football fans at stadiums at 8 am as well as the drunks at home watching on TV (with expensive advertising featuring Coors and Bud) are looking forward to no more tailgating on the Sabbath.
This is a secular nation which talks alot about being Christian but most do not really walk the walk. And dont want to.
A seriously Christian friend of mine from high school just got back from two years missionary in Africa. He has changed a lot, almost as if he has seen a ghost. Maybe he has seen a ghost. He says the amount of spirituality invested by African Christians in the practice of their religion is almost scary, and makes the perfunctory Sunday services at the local Lutheran Church seem pretty lame by comparison
What a viewpoint!
I gave you a 4 for that one.
The theocrats are taking over with an assist from the democratic party. Right
Except, remember that in the real world, outside the beltway, the godless communist chinese already have more influence over the US (through purchase of US debt instruments at artifically low interest rates) than James Dobson will ever have.
All they have to do is stop buying and homeowners all across the US will start sweating bullets as their interest rates rise on the adjustable mortagages or the new “interest only” mortgages that are sustaining the housing bubble. Ever higher price valuations supported by ever riskier low interest funding vehicles.
Dream on pete, dream on…..
The neocons will not go quietly into that good night….they have worked too long and too hard to get where they are today, theocrats, money-men be damned, in the power-nexus that is neoconservatism (that spans borders, btw, this is not a uniquely American philosophy), the bit players will get in line or be sloughed off.
On second thought, the neocons will get sloughed off as well, as they are not the controllers of the power-nexi, just the conduits….
“Theocrats and moneymen be damned.”
Theocrats maybe, but the money men pull the strings. They will NEVER be damned by the republican party.
Neocons are not conduits for anything except repeated republican failure of virtually all of their agenda.
Theocrats and neocons need each other to survive. The moneymen WILL survive. The other two have turned out to be an unholy alliance.
Once again we disagree.
We will see what we will see.
I don’t know why I even bother commenting on your screeds. You are always right and everyone else’s opnion is either falt out wrong or miguided and naive.
Thanks for letting me know in no uncertain terms that I have given you enough “benefit of the doubt”.
You keep saying threatening to stop commenting on my diaries but you keep commenting anyway….
Its your choice entirely to coment upon my diaries. You know full well we will not agree especially when you preface your comment by saying “dream on pete, dream on.”
You are challenging me to argue and when I respond intelligently without name calling, just responding to your statements, you get all huffy and puffy.
There is no making you happy, Iguess, unless I am making you feel important through mindless agreement with your comments which always seem intended to contradict mine.
Feel free to ignore me from this point on. I don’t believe that your giving me “the benefit of the doubt” is all that much of a benefit to me, anyway.
It is also only your OPNION that you respond intelligently, and you certainly have done your fair-share of name-calling….please find ONE example (aside from this one) where I have “threatened to stop commenting on your diaries”, otherwise I may have to call bullshit on that as well.
Believe me, I do not look to you to “make me happy”, so no worries there — up until this point I was willing to think that you actually were looking for discussion and to learn something (as you had siad as much), but as per usual, you have nothing to learn from anyone.
So you are now saying my responses are unintelligent?
True, I am here to gain knowledge, but also to impart the knowledge I have gained. And to be treated with same respect as all others, regardless of their age and whether or not they agree with you.
Remember, you are seeking me out to make comment, not vice versa.