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Fear The Extremists In The White House Radicalizing Conservatism - Not Democratic Socialists Printer friendly page Print This
By Dallas Darling
Submitted by Author
Monday, Aug 13, 2018

If a wise man proportions his beliefs to sound evidence, as David Hume maintained, the real extremists may very well be the gaggle in the White House instead of the new democratic socialists. This is especially true as a number of Republicans, led by President Donald Trump, have abandoned the core principles of conservatism and republicanism. They’ve also become radicalized with twisted and deranged doctrines. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party may be more right of center than previously assumed, giving those democratic socialists “only the appearance” of being on the extreme left instead of true Liberals.

Anything Goes For The New And Untried
It’s hard to deny that under President Trump, conservatives have lost their values and moral compass. They’ve also tossed away their dislike of change for change’s sake. Many now put their faith in a leader who places his own interests above the nation-and God. This is evident by how conservative Evangelicals are impervious to scandals, lying, poor policy making, and outrageous behavior. Consequently, something is very wrong when even Rev. Franklin Graham tells Evangelicals to stop criticizing Donald Trump over his sexual impropriety and payments of hush money or God won’t be happy.(1)

Something else is amiss when conservatives embrace sweeping changes. From the far-reaching tax cuts for corporations to the extreme gutting of America’s wildernesses, that will be opened to extract gas and minerals, the spirit of conservatism, which tends towards the reactionary, has become radicalized. They’re also ignoring their belief in tradition and wisdom drawn from the practices of previous generations-and Republican presidents. “Against the new and untried,” as Abraham Lincoln always said, is now “For the new and untried.” Conservatism and rash, uncalculated risks, however, don’t mix.

So Much For Morality And A Lurch To The Right
Another thing that doesn’t mix well is when the same evangelicals and conservatives put aside their morals and the tested past to seize power. Not only do some support a corrupt administration, but President Trump’s tariffs have ignited a trade war, disrupting farming and manufacturing communities and hurting the same people who voted for him. There’s also the radical shift in new alliances and treaties. Warming up to Russia, the president has practically shunned the EU and NATO calling them a foe. He’s also opposed to a more peaceful nuclear path with Iran while giving North Korea a free pass.

As for the Democrats, they’ve moved toward the right of center. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a prime example. Despite Republicans labeling it extreme “socialism,” it was more conservative. In fact, President Barack Obama’s signature plan was based on market-oriented ideas from the Heritage Foundation instead of traditionally Democratic single-payer or “Medicare for all” concepts-something the new social democrats would like to see. Meanwhile, in the past several years, Gallup polls showed that Republicans had lurched more to the radical right, while Democrats inched to the right of center.

Intolerance Is Extremism And A More Reasonable Way
As a result of this new political polarization-and extremism, which favors the New Republicans in the White House, intolerance is indeed the evidence of radicalizing, even impotence. As a result, the so-called conservative media is blasting a new crop of democratic socialists. Texas’ Beto O’Rourke and New York’s congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have been labeled radicals and extremists for running on a Medicare-for-All platform. For wanting to stop the mass deportation of asylum seekers-which isn’t a crime-or taking children away from their parents, they’ve been called communist traitors.

Likewise, Kentucky’s John Yarmuth and Wisconsin’s Sen. Tammy Baldwin agree that universal healthcare should be a right. This is especially true since they and others have had terrible experiences with insurance companies covering children pre-ACA with “preexisting conditions.” Their call to slow down and rethink President Trump’s sudden “zero-tolerance” enforcement policy and the abuses stemming from Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE), or to consider educational financial and criminal justice reform, sounds more reasonable and tried than what’s now taking place in the White House.

Forging A Viable Future And The Worst-And Extremely Radical-Of Times
In a recent interview with CNN’s Chris Cuomo, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said the real “sticker shock” was a Congress that can “write unlimited blank checks for war and pass the GOP’s $2 trillion tax cut for the wealthy.” Adding “When it comes to proposals that would help every American-such as Medicare for All-our pockets are empty,” she seems to promote a more viable and stable future. Indeed, and despite ridicule from Democrats and Republicans, why do billionaires get large tax cuts while the “Trump Administration offers only empty pockets when it comes to the morally right things to do?”

In “Why The Right Went Wrong,” E.J. Dionne Jr. wrote that what happened to governance was asymmetrical polarization. Republican conservatives and the rank-and-file moved much further to the right of center-and still are. The reality of the new White House is now “ideologically extremism.” Given that there’s no doubt Donald Trump is too much apart of the Deep State and its latest tool, and the New Republicans under him are radicalizing conservatism, even “dismissive of the legitimacy of political opposition” and “scornful of compromises;” it may be the worst-and extremely radical-of times.



Dallas Darling is the author of Politics 501: An A-Z Reading on Conscientious Political Thought and Action, Some Nations Above God: 52 Weekly Reflections On Modern-Day Imperialism, Militarism, And Consumerism in the Context of John’s Apocalyptic Vision, and The Other Side Of Christianity: Reflections on Faith, Politics, Spirituality, History, and Peace. He is a correspondent for www.WN.com. You can read more of Dallas’ writings at www.beverlydarling.com and  www.WN.com/dallasdarling.

(1) www.alternet.org. “Franklin Graham Tells Evangelicals to Lay Off President Trump or God Won’t Be Happy,” by Alex Henderson. July 25, 2018.



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