this post was submitted on 16 Jul 2024
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Robert Reich articulated something that has been bouncing around my head since 2016

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[–] [email protected] 107 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Not all of us. That used to describe me. But I realized fiscal conservatism isn't being responsible with money, it's using money to pursue a conservative social agenda. Now I'm just a cheap liberal.

[–] Fondots 43 points 4 months ago (2 children)

In a saner world, I'd probably consider myself a conservative, in the world we actually live in though, I'm not touching anything the conservative parties have anything to do with.

I generally think that things should overall trend towards being more liberal, and conservatism should just kind of be a moderating factor, not really working against a liberal agenda, just kind of slowing it down, making sure everything is fully thought through before we jump into anything, that the plans and funding and contingencies and such are in place, and in some cases just slowing things down because some stubborn assholes (mostly the current "conservatives") need to be eased into certain changes because their tiny minds will explode if you go to fast

[–] [email protected] 28 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (2 children)

You are describing an actual Conservative, basically someone who acts like a brake. They can slow down or even temporarily stop progress to buy time while things are thought through. For all practical purposes these people no longer exist in the Republican Party. They've been replaced by MAGA.

However MAGA aren't "Conservatives" because they don't function as brakes. To stick with the vehicle theme MAGA is trying to shift the vehicle into reverse. They aren't just trying to stop progress they are actively trying to go backwards!. IMO these people should be called "Regressives" because that word most accurately describes their political goals. They want to unwind progress and regress to a previous time and state of existence.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 4 months ago

Yup. The MAGA crowd isn't conservative. The MAGA crowd is regressivist, trying to install feudalism/theocracy. Meanwhile the MAGA leaders plan to take advantage of the ensuing chaos to rob the country. It's all just a big fat heist with a lot of deceived fools.

[–] finitely_prolonged 5 points 4 months ago (2 children)

No he and you are just describing a liberal. There are not and never have been your mythical "actual conservatives". Conservatives have always been about enforcing social hierarchies. In America there isn't hereditary nobility but the Republicans have gone full mask off that they really would like that.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

No he and you are just describing a liberal.

Well...yes. Of course we are.

There are not and never have been your mythical “actual conservatives”.

At one time the Republicans were liberals and even advertised themselves as such. If you crack a history book you can see that what's happening with MAGA right now isn't the first time that the RP has been through this.

Aside from goings on in the 1870s we can look to the 1950s and the Eisenhower Republicans. You should look those up.

Conservatives have always been about enforcing social hierarchies.

Nah, my lived experience says differently. Dad was a Republican and he never made any racial or social distinctions on anyone. Neither did my mother. The only people my family had a problem with were Russians...and with damn good reason. So that means he was a Republican without being a Conservative. A liberal Republican if you will...and at one time the US was full of them.

Your claims are so overly broad that they've slipped into revisionism.

[–] TheFonz 4 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

The user you responded to watched Innuendo Studio on yt and came away with the one talking point (the whole hierarchy thing)

[–] Fondots 2 points 4 months ago

I'm only expressing my thoughts on what conservatism means to me and what I think it should be. I'm not making any claims that it is what conservatism actually is in this country or any other, or about what it has been at any point in time (even if they sometimes like to pretend that it's what they're about.) like I said, I don't align myself with any of the so-called conservative movements that are out there.

[–] gAlienLifeform 23 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Speaking as someone who considers themselves a lefty, this is the kind of conservative I want to have a voice in my government (like, 39 seats in the Senate tops kind of voice, but it's a worthy perspective and engaging with it makes progressive plans stronger)