My Thesis: "Conservatism" never existed. Not as a political movement. And not outside narrow political or academic circles. What did exist was misdiagnosed (conveniently, willfully or ignorantly).
A Thread:
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A Thread:
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Survey after survey showed Americans have always held a variety of left, center and right wing views. It's only recently that our toxicity has driven us into ideological camps.
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From Pew:
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From Pew:
And even the left, which has seemingly moved more aggressively away from the center is hiding a secret....
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washingtonpost.com/news/politics/…
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washingtonpost.com/news/politics/…
Even though the left's art and rhetoric can seem radical, their lives are MORE conservative than conservatives'.
See California, where the chasm between lived & stated beliefs is vast.
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From @DavidAFrench:
frenchpress.thedispatch.com/p/bernie-sande…
See California, where the chasm between lived & stated beliefs is vast.
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From @DavidAFrench:
frenchpress.thedispatch.com/p/bernie-sande…
With few passionate believers in "conservatism", wealthy power brokers, seeking minimal taxes & regulation, found a wedge: evangelicals.
This awkward alliance veiled a deconstructionist economic agenda w/a religious smokescreen to gain votes & power.
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link.springer.com/chapter/10.105…
This awkward alliance veiled a deconstructionist economic agenda w/a religious smokescreen to gain votes & power.
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link.springer.com/chapter/10.105…
Over time, they created "Think Tanks" to legitimize their questionable economic theories ("trickle down") - all laser focused on cutting taxes & regulation, if not presented that way.
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The left did the same w/its own think tanks, but it was less necessary, as it already had 85%+ of academia & cultural institutions.
For 20+ years, they've used divisive social issues in much the same way - for fear-based fundraising, masking an expansionist economic agenda.
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For 20+ years, they've used divisive social issues in much the same way - for fear-based fundraising, masking an expansionist economic agenda.
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So when Trumpism came along, it wasn't eating "conservatism", but a sketch of its ghost.
Like Uber upended awful taxi cartels & customers fled abusive cable monopolies for streaming services, "conservative" voters fled those who never served them, the first chance they got.
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Like Uber upended awful taxi cartels & customers fled abusive cable monopolies for streaming services, "conservative" voters fled those who never served them, the first chance they got.
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