Listening the Bulwark’s “Next Level” Podcast (sub needed) from yesterday, and the hosts repeated a meme/talking-point that really grates on me.
It’s this idea that Republicans are supposedly “choosing their party over the country”, as exemplified by the National Review this week saying things like “Trump is bad for conservatism” — conveniently, of course, ignoring that their first and foremost concern should be whether he’s bad for America.
Look, I get where this is coming from. It’s an obvious conclusion to draw.
But my own experience of growing up as a conservative just doesn’t jibe with it. If anything, the reality is actually worse! The National Review don’t see themselves as choosing party over country. No, conservatives have convinced themselves over many long decades that conservatism is the only ideology that can responsibly govern the country.
And it’s not just that they hazily think all other ideologies would be acceptable but give subpar results relative to some idealized conservative-governed universe. After all, that’s basically what most of those ideologies think about everyone else, right? In the same way that all religions basically think all other religions are misguided to some degree.
No, the National Review believes that any other ideology, especially those on the left, would be catastrophically bad for America. This is why they see democratically sharing power as impossible, why they’ve consistently failed to defend democracy in America from Trump (or anyone else, for that matter). They simply can’t bring themselves to trust anyone else with the exercise of power.
This is a fundamentally arrogant position. It’s just not compatible with democracy. And while it’s not inherent to conservatism itself, it’s undeniably been a major thread in the American strain of conservatism since long before even William F. Buckley. It’s what drives the movement’s insatiable lust for power, while simultaneously dooming it to never achieve its stated goals.
And ultimately, I think it’s what will doom the movement to keep imploding in on itself, because as we’ve seen with Trump, if you’ll do anything for power, then eventually a strongman will come along and force you to trade your soul for it.
That’s why I say it’s worse. It’s not just that they “choose party over country”. It’s that they believe they are the only party for the country.
Addendum: And the reason why it bugs me is because if it were just as simple as "party over country", then you could hammer them with it for a few election cycles and banish them from power forever. Lefties get excited for that prospect... because it's easy! It's less work for us; it gives us a clear moral high ground, an easy victory to look forward to.
But just because it's easy and promises us all our dreams, doesn't make it *true*.
The "we're the only competent ones to run the country" thing has a much broader mass appeal. It's really difficult for normies of ANY stripe to see any difference between THAT and plain old rooting for their own side. And that means the "party over country" attack falls flat with them - it's just regular old partisan mudslinging, not a valid attack.
So, on one side, you have a bunch of lefties (and Bulwarkers) who think that they've got a magic wand they can wave to make the hated fasc-ish threat disappear. And on the other, you have a bunch of normies who don't really see "keep avowed socialists out of power" as much of a betrayal of the American ideal, even if they might admire a socialist policy or two, so it's not convincing when the socialists who'd otherwise stand to benefit, act like it's disqualifying.
It's just annoying and tiresome to see all this ignorance and hate flying around as the country falls apart around us because of it.
From the bits and pieces I have read, I wonder how long some of those who call themselves Conservatives have been seeking to replace the democratic Republic with their version of a Republic. It appears to be generations. Would it be ridiculous to say that it has been going on since the beginning of the U.S.?
Perhaps the real question is "Are they actually Conservatives?" Maybe, that is just convenient camouflage to hide what they really want and what they are working toward.
You both have made the point a couple of times but it bear repeating. The “party over country” choice is a false choice for some conservatives. Their belief in the rightness of their party makes it impossible for choosing country to not also choose party. That’s why a variety of scare tactics and boogeymen have been republican stock and trade for decades. Whether it be racism, homophobia, transphobia or bigotry against immigrants, there’s always an “other” for them to scare their voters with. These people are not what they see as American, therefore it is right to push them to the margins. Only the GOP will protect for country from these influences. While the majority of us may see hatred and unAmerican behavior, this is precisely what many on the far right believe. They then believe that they have chosen both party and country while we on the left are blindly following our party and damaging the country.
I wish that the party over country attack was a valid one against the right, because it really shows where a politicians priorities are. Easier said than done to throw shame at a politician.
Addendum: And the reason why it bugs me is because if it were just as simple as "party over country", then you could hammer them with it for a few election cycles and banish them from power forever. Lefties get excited for that prospect... because it's easy! It's less work for us; it gives us a clear moral high ground, an easy victory to look forward to.
But just because it's easy and promises us all our dreams, doesn't make it *true*.
The "we're the only competent ones to run the country" thing has a much broader mass appeal. It's really difficult for normies of ANY stripe to see any difference between THAT and plain old rooting for their own side. And that means the "party over country" attack falls flat with them - it's just regular old partisan mudslinging, not a valid attack.
So, on one side, you have a bunch of lefties (and Bulwarkers) who think that they've got a magic wand they can wave to make the hated fasc-ish threat disappear. And on the other, you have a bunch of normies who don't really see "keep avowed socialists out of power" as much of a betrayal of the American ideal, even if they might admire a socialist policy or two, so it's not convincing when the socialists who'd otherwise stand to benefit, act like it's disqualifying.
It's just annoying and tiresome to see all this ignorance and hate flying around as the country falls apart around us because of it.
From the bits and pieces I have read, I wonder how long some of those who call themselves Conservatives have been seeking to replace the democratic Republic with their version of a Republic. It appears to be generations. Would it be ridiculous to say that it has been going on since the beginning of the U.S.?
Perhaps the real question is "Are they actually Conservatives?" Maybe, that is just convenient camouflage to hide what they really want and what they are working toward.
You both have made the point a couple of times but it bear repeating. The “party over country” choice is a false choice for some conservatives. Their belief in the rightness of their party makes it impossible for choosing country to not also choose party. That’s why a variety of scare tactics and boogeymen have been republican stock and trade for decades. Whether it be racism, homophobia, transphobia or bigotry against immigrants, there’s always an “other” for them to scare their voters with. These people are not what they see as American, therefore it is right to push them to the margins. Only the GOP will protect for country from these influences. While the majority of us may see hatred and unAmerican behavior, this is precisely what many on the far right believe. They then believe that they have chosen both party and country while we on the left are blindly following our party and damaging the country.
I wish that the party over country attack was a valid one against the right, because it really shows where a politicians priorities are. Easier said than done to throw shame at a politician.