I don’t think that there is any prospect of conservatives declaring peace on the safety net. The conservative movement has become a cult that is unmoored from Christian teachings about helping the needy. Their need to punish anyone who has fallen on hard times is almost limitless. I don’t even think it is connected anymore to a desire to use church charity as a substitute for government assistance. That used to be the idea, but a different value system has been internalized. Now, the overriding ethos animating conservatives is the “takers vs. makers” meme, which argues that people who need help are fundamentally unworthy and should be considered political adversaries.
It used to be that a lot of conservatives thought they could improve their position vis-a-vis God by devoting some of their time to helping the poor, the mentally ill, the drug-addicted, and the homeless. I think that idea has been replaced by the idea that they can kick those people in the teeth until they die, and then they can light them on fire.
I don’t expect Catholics to support the new conservative movement to the same degree that they have in the past, and I think the evangelicals will start moving away soon, too. We’re already seeing the division on immigration reform.
I mean, it shouldn’t be necessary for the president of the American Enterprise Institute to tell conservatives that “this war against the social safety net…is just insane.” The fact that he feels the need to say something like that tells you all you need to know.
The conservative movement has crossed some invisible line and they are now one of the most malevolent and dangerous and anti-American movements that we’ve seen arise in this country.
