Posted by
Andrews on Monday, December 08, 2008 1:52:53 PM
A while ago,
I wrote about the paleo-con power play, trying to restore their style of protectionist, "conservative" but big government politics. They claim to be for the common man and to oppose massive government while talking about "keeping jobs in America" and "restoring our manufacturing base", as if they can impose such draconian restrictions on trade with a small, freedom loving government.
Well, I went over that already. So to the point.
While reading comments today, I was struck by the number of nominal "conservatives" praising Obama. It was truly bizarre. And these are not the usual MoveOn plants and Undercover Undergrounders. These were people I know as long time posters who voice relatively conservative opinions. However, they are, to a man, "paleo-cons" who argue that oil from ANWR should be "kept home", that trade must be shut down, that "jobs" matter above all, and so on.
What was even more interesting was that coupled with their rather unseemly joy at McCain's defeat, was their attempt to use Phil Gramm to tie all economic conservative to the "RINO" wing of the "Republican donkeys". Now, granted, Gramm was a McCain advisor, but that was one of the few truly good moves McCain made. Gramm, far from being a "Rockefeller Republican", is
a free market Republican. He may not be 100% consistent, who is?, but he is far more consistent than most.
However, that is the current method of paleo-cons. At the moment they are trying their best to
smear free market Republicans. Either they are tarring us as "Rockefeller Republicans", probably the least defined term since their other favorite "neo-con". Or else they are
joining the Democrats in
blaming our economic woes on
"greed" and
"deregulation", and, again,
using Gramm in order to smear those who believe in freedom.
And that, in a nutshell is why I say paleo-cons are not conservatives. Look at how often they make common cause with the left. Oh, they sometimes throw in with social conservatives, but first and foremost they are for a huge, intrusive state, whatever they may say. They share almost all economic goals with Democrats, protectionism, unionization, restricting foreign trade. The Democrats may favor redistribution to the poor, but many paleo-cons favor just as much redistribution to the middle class, as you can tell when they launch into their own assault on CEOs and other "fat cats". In fact, the only real differences are that the Democrats favor liberal social experiments and paleo-cons don't hate religion, and they may differ a bit on multiculturalism and race, but otherwise, especially on economics and the scope of government, they could be twins.
Well, I suppose we will have to wait and see. I am sure some of you still doubt me and think I am over-reacting. But it is coming. Not right away, but the first shots are already being fired. Very soon the Republican party is going to face a struggle for its identity, and the paelo-cons are going to try very hard to push it into becoming "Democrats-With-Jesus", mainly by pushing out anyone who favors a free market, and they will do it by tarring us as "Rockefeller Republicans", "neocons" and "McCain-Gramm supporters".
Just wait and see.