Why Conservatives Should Be Smiling

               Published in Marietta (GA) Daily Journal, 4/9/22

             Throughout the country political re-alignments are occurring. The corporate world has essentially switched parties, Republicans are finally wooing the American worker, and the grandchildren of the 1960’s flower children/Vietnam War protestors have abandoned their grandparents’ free speech movement. They now call for censorship. Why? Because views with which they disagree make them feel unsafe. No wonder conservatism is rising.

            Weary conservatives often ask if conservatism is conserving anything. Noting that conservatives are often little more than the toothless opposition, they argue that before conservative values can be conserved, they must first be reclaimed. There is much truth to this line of argument, yet conservatives are now in a posture to do some reclaiming. Consider how the following realities bode well for conservatives in this election year.

            The political left now has a new weapon. For many decades the left’s weapon of choice was the courts. Sue, sue, sue. Sue the states, sue Pro-life or Tea Party groups, sue anybody who disagrees with you. Whether it was the ACLU, the Southern Poverty Law Center, or other such leftist groups, the judiciary has long been their refuge. With issue after issue, the tactic was to go to court to contest any law or policy they didn’t like.

            Surprise, surprise! The political left, that has always hated those big, rich, Republican-leaning corporations, now enjoys their favor and power. Yes, corporations, those former Calvin Coolidge/Herbert Hoover/national Chamber of Commerce types that generally favored Republicans are now embracing the far left. Corporations are now ok with Black Lives Matter tactics, the LGBTQ gospel, transgender indoctrination, so-called “equity,” and anything else the left pressures them to support. Whether it’s Coke, Delta, Disney, or any other corporation, call it progressivism in the board room.

 Middle sized corporate heads, desiring to be cool, rush to follow Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Apple’s Tim Cook, and Microsoft’s Bill Gates. They too want to be CEO activists, telling us lesser folks what we should think, especially about abortion, immigration, homosexuality, and all the transgender euphoria. No longer satisfied with being intellectual defenders of capitalism and free enterprise, even the Koch brothers are now pro-choice, pro-gay, and pro-amnesty. The good news is that polls show Middle America is repelled by this development.

            It can no longer be claimed that the essence of liberalism is tolerance or that the essence of conservatism is restraint. That claim was once true. Liberals always took a broad, broad view of everything. Their motto was “… but on the other hand…” Today they embrace and practice the suppression of expression whenever the expression differs from their own. For decades Republicans went along to get along. That too is changing. A strong, growing bench of conservatives – including Governor Desantis of course – is echoing the sainted William F. Buckley who declared, “A conservative is one who stands athwart history yelling ‘Stop’ when no one is inclined to do so and is impatient with those who so urge it.” Republican leaders are now fighting back with much more vim and vigor on social, economic, and foreign affairs issues. Talk radio ignited this fighting spirit. Cable television sustains it. Conservatives still haven’t touched education, but they have cracked the media. That’s reason to smile.

            The essence of liberalism today is sexual chaos (denial of biology), socialist economics, excusable violence, and the John Lennon (of the Beatles) refrain, “Imagine no countries.” Google this song – “Imagine” – anyhow. The music itself is beautiful even though the compelling lofty words comprise a liberal manifesto. Lennon’s song is a good example of how and why so many youths are swooned into embracing ideologies before thinking. As sociologist Allan Bloom noted, “Nothing is more singular about today’s generation than its addiction to music.” Nothing is more surely in control of today’s music and entertainment than the dead-end ecstasy provided by the very liberal movie, entertainment, and publishing industry. But parents are taking note of this fact and are raising the topic at their “rowdy” school board meetings.

             There are many fronts from which conservatives can take encouragement, issues that is, which are pulling voters away from progressive thought and toward more sensible policies. For instance, the progressives’ war on parents’ rights has awakened an army of mama bears in both red and blue states. Over half of the states have Republican governors. 28 progressives in Congress are choosing not to run for re-election. Republican control of the U.S. House is all but a foregone conclusion. Winning back the Senate is a distinct possibility.

            Alas, even President Biden’s party supporters know what a danger he is to their political future. Even the media is slowly backing away from him. Now that’s something to smile about.

 

Roger Hines

4/6/22