interesting polticial report

[winterbadger]

This is a piece by People for the American Way, reviewing the annual Conservative Political Action Conference.

I skimmed parts of this, but bits that struck my eye were repreated citations of conservatives' desire to defund social security

Rep. Tom Feeney (R- FL) went directly to the heart of the matter -- the Right's efforts to defund government -- in his remarks about the growing “nanny state.” He included the following government programs in his list of troublesome cradle-to-grave programs-- early childhood education, K-12 public school, community college, higher education and social security.

and this charming aside

Columnist Suzanne Fields complained that teenagers are being lost in the culture war, that being openly homosexual in high school “no longer has shame, [teenagers] seem to have a pride in their worst perversities.” She said conservatives can win the culture war (and the election) because they bring in “moral judgement” where there is none, and that people respond well to being told what to believe and do.

The cognitive dissonance of conservatives wanting to basically abolish government

Norquist believes that people who own guns, home-school or send their kids to private school-- the “leave us alone coalition”-- will have all have less need for government and will want to eliminate entitlement programs such as social security.

but maintain just enough to prevent people from making their own choices when those choices contradict the conservative agenda.

Part of me wants to at least be able to respect my opponent adn agree to disagree, but I see conservatives of this stripe as being unwilling to extend that same degree of respect, so I don't feel too bad, in the end, about not being able to find it myself.

Comments

[luscious-purple.livejournal.com]

While conservatives may stress the need for a smaller, limited government, they’re clear about the need to have government intervene when it comes to equal rights for gays and lesbians.

Ugh. Bleah. *barfing on conservatives*

Gee, what happened to Barry Goldwater's belief that government should keep itself out of the bedroom? Oh, wait, Goldwater is dead.

And there is a real group calling itself "Government Is Not God PAC"?

[winterbadger]

I don't think Goldwater would feel welcome in the (national) RP these days, any more than McCain probably does.

The people I have some serious sympathy for are the Log Cabin Republicans; those guys must feel like herring trying to swim with the sharks these days.

[luscious-purple.livejournal.com]

I agree with you about the Log Cabin folks. I understand their insistence that they have a right to hold and express their political views on matters other than sexuality. But gender and sexuality are SO integral to how we define ourselves ... and so many in the right wing are so unalterably opposed to the Log Cabins' core identity ... I just don't see how they can deal with it.