The next Frankenstein

The discontent within the Republican Party and the conservative ideology is much in the news. Fundamentalist Christians, libertarians, fiscal conservatives, and neo-con war hawks have all expressed their dismay at the Bush Administration reign. Many claim that the Bush Administration is not truly of the conservative ideological persuasion. These charges always coincide with complaints by the disaffected that the Bush Administration has not attended to their particular political goals and concerns.

I think it is at least an open question whether conservatives did not get exactly what they deserved under the Bush Administration.

Crony capitalism has reached its zenith in American history and helped to exacerbate disasters such as Iraq and Katrina. Fiscal conservatives labor under the notion that you can have huge military adventures and crony capitalism and that it will not cost anything. In their minds, you can always take a few more bucks from the low end of the working class to pay the tab. That well is running dry in a hurry.

Fundamentalist Christians actually believe the majority of Americans want governance by a few preachers prancing and preening around a mega-church pulpit. What the fundamentalist preachers do not understand is that the folks in Washington D. C. are too self interested to give up their privileges to a bunch of folks who hate science, technology, and the hedonistic nature of global capitalism.

Libertarians still labor under the outmoded notion that you can have a large nation whose goal is world hegemony while at the same time have small government. People make fun of the dreamy ideas of Sixties hippies, but the libertarians ought to examine how closely they sound to those folks. Big time capitalism requires large government to grease the palms and wheels of commerce. Crony capitalism comes with the deal. You must have many folks in Washington D. C. to launder all that money. You have to wonder whether many professed libertarians really are what they claim. The conservative ones have been startling silent about the Bush Administration assault on rights and protection of freedoms.

Neo-cons still believe that if you drop enough bombs on Middle East civilians, they will come to their senses and love the USA. That has not worked anywhere in the Middle East. In case neo-cons have not noticed, the Iraq occupation has stretched the military to its capacity. There are only two combat ready brigades available for their next lunatic military adventure.

Disaffected conservatives have gotten what they asked for in the Bush Administration. He is their baby and the DNA proof is undeniable.

Large ideologies such as conservatism always reconstruct and reinvent themselves when they lose share of public mind. The American Conservative movement did it fifty years ago. One wonders where conservatism goes from here and who their next baby will be.

I hope it is not Frankenstein the next time around.