Sunday, March 02, 2008

Analysis: Is the conservative movement changing?

Biography of one of the purest conservatives William F. Buckley, Jr.:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/27/buckley.obit/index.html?eref=rss_showbiz

Fareed Zakaria's column in a recent Newsweek called "The End of Conservatism"(at the end he mentions Political Ideology!):
http://www.newsweek.com/id/112770

Long-time conservative columnist and commentator George Will writes about John McCain:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/27/AR2008022703205.html

(if you answer the first question and want to give your predictions for March 4 and its aftermath, go for it)

30 comments:

KellyH said...

I don't believe the conservative movement as a whole is changing-yet. People are starting to recognize there is a need for change, and that McCain and other conservatives that are straying from the former standard ideas are the ones who are responding to what today's need are. Conservatives that are stuck in the past quoting Reagan are the ones who will soon be left behind, because the problems in the U.S. then are not the same problems we have now. So I do think there has been recognition by at least some conservatives that there needs to be change, but I don't believe the movement as a whole has yet to fully change.

Unknown said...

I agree with Kelly. I feel there isn't much change going on. I feel anyone quoting the past is not going to do as well as they may have liked. I hope to see more conservatives recognize the fact that we need change.

(Now for your listening enjoyment....
http://www.flowgo.com/funny/6019_political-bohemian-rhapsody.html)

Jbyko10 said...

There is NO change occurring in the conservative movement. If you listen to McCain, he is saying the exact things that Bush said, and others conservatives have said. He is doing barely anything in his campaign that has to do with change. So yeah... i dont think there is a change in the conservative movement, and i do not think we will see the change until Obama becomes president and opens their eyes for them.

Adam L said...

I don't think the conservative movement is changing. The main ideas of the conservative party are upheld in this election and one of the most important issues, the "war." I quote because congress never really approved a "war." Just force action. The country is constantly moving and the conservatives are having trouble with election because of it. I do believe the country is ready for someone beside bush. To me McCain is just like bush. Sorry but I feel the conservatives won't have a chance with the popular vote; there is one chance they have to win the election by wining the electoral collage. This means McCain needs a perfect campaign with no screw ups.

Tom B. said...

Comming from a conservative standpoint i see a struggle within the conservative movement. Most republicans feel that Mcain is a very liberal republican and that his ideals are very simalar to democrats. Even though many conservatives dont like him as much as a FRED THOMPSON or a mitt Romney they're still going to embrace a conservative over a liberal. The only way i see the conservative movement changing is if Mcain were to be elected that during his presidency conservatives might change there views to get things done with liberals, and therefore slightly changing how conservatives ideals are portrayed to America. What I'm saying is that i think Conservatives might turn a little bit liberal in ways if Mcain is elected

mente said...

I don't think that there is a changing conservative movement. I think that GOP candidates are just using the word "change" more often to try to sway independents to their side. The conservative ideals are still coming out strongly from the mouths of our friendly right-wingers.

Mr. Bretzmann said...

Republican Party
Democratic Party

republican form of government
democratic form of government

Vlad said...

Yes, it is changing. With President George Bush, America's debt and control over its people has expanded. Large gov. control and tremendous spending are two things that most conservatives denounce. With John McCain, who is almost another President George W. Bush, spending and gov. control will only increase as the war in Iraq is prolonged even further. Most conservatives agree with what President George W. Bush does, even though what he does isn't very conservative. Things like National ID, voter ID, all sorts of other IDs and database systems are all being proposed by the very people who oppose large goverment control. But just as people above have said, conservatives aren't changing with some of their ideals (gay rights, abortion, affirmative action).

I believe Hillary might win at least one of the states, and this victory will do nothing to her campaign. I have started to feel sorry for her. She's only human. I saw her on SNL on Saturday and it showed her human-ess - a quality most people joke about she doesn't have.

Vlad said...

By affirmative action, I meant they oppose it.

Anonymous said...

I believe the conservative movement is changing. Many of the Bush policies are not in line with traditional conservative thought. As Vlad said with increased spending. The one thing that has become a muddy area is spending. Conservatives are traditionally strong supporters of a smaller government, and thus, decreased spending; however, many of the recent conservative presidents have campaigned for less government spending, but have sent military spending through the roof. A good example is Ronald Reagan, who in his inaugural speech said "Government is not the solution to our problems; government is the problem," but spent over $2.2 trillion on the military over 8 years. He changed America from the largest creditor before his presidency into the largest debtor after his presidency.

Therefore, I believe that some conservative principles have stayed the same, however many are changing in reaction to the new problems facing our country.

aly mac said...

I really don't see a huge change in the conservative movement. Conservatives seem to be staying relatively stable on many of their current positions. Choosing McCain, a moderate Republican, as the GOP nominee, however I think might bring some more liberal views into the picture. It might not be so obvious now, as he is trying to appeal to conservative voters, but with his voting record, I wouldn't be surprised if he did shake the conservative movement a little. On the core conservative issues like abortion, gay rights, etc. I don't think that there will be any change.

katiekso said...

I feel that, to the conservatives, the conservative party is making severl changes and therefor is considered to be changing. However, from the liberal side of things it doesn't appear as if much change, if any is taking place inside the conserveative party. One way to tell that there is a little change is found in the comments about McCain. Republicans say he can be very non-consevative yet he is the Republican front runner so conservatives seem to be interested in a change.

Erica C said...

I think the conservative movement is definitely changing. Obviously, the change is not reflected by all Republicans as demonstrated by far-right criticism of McCain. However, the American public just isn't supporting many of the very basic beliefs of conservatism. In addition, conservatism became popular in the 70s and 80s because it addressed the needs and conflicts of that time. Obviously, any moment must change if it wishes to be prominent in a new time and a new age. We began to see that in some of Bush's policies that Vlad mentioned and we continue to see that in McCain. Good or bad, a changing conservative moment is inevitable.


In the Newsweek article listed, Fareed Zakaria makes a lot of sense. He states "Political ideologies do not exist in a vacuum. They need to meet the problems of the world as it exists. Ordinary conservatives understand this, which may be why—despite the urgings of their ideological gurus—they have voted for McCain. He seems to understand that a new world requires new thinking."

CoreyA said...

No. Not any more then any other movement would over time. Overall We are still Christain, still don't approve of abortions(Baby Killing as I like to, and will, call it), still trigger happy, capitalistic, antigay marriage people. Is the liberal movement changing?(or are they still the same flip-floping, wishful-thinkers as before?)
I would not approve of responding to this comment on here, I have no intention of returning to this blog in the next week. I do intend on returning to my blog soon. Leave a post there if you so please.

ericag said...

I think the conservative movement has started, but i also think that the conservatives have to change to get elected for office. and we all know that pretty much in politics its all about winning something. without a change i dont think the conservatives would have a chance at winning

Christina S said...

I think that the conservative movement is changing. Not quickly, but there is a change going on. A lot of people have said that the conservative bunch needs to change in order to be elected into office, and I agree.

cmorgan said...

I believe the conservative movement is changing ever so slightly. With issues not being dealt with and republican candidates such as McCain, the view of many voters is swaying towards the democratic side. Words of change are at the tips of the liberal republicans tounges. I agree with Kelly's notion that the old-minded conservatives will be left in the dust with problems changing and building up. So in summation yes I do believe that the conservative movement is changing, even if only a little.

joannaz said...

This Democratic form of government could use alot of change in both the democratic and republican parties. Oops, I meant Republican form of government.

Mr. Bretzmann said...

Joana, I like totaly agree. You know what I mean? Like, I know you like Hilary Clinton and I'm sure you think that her being on TV is awesome. Seeing her on SNL gives us all hope for our Democracy. I mean that's what the people want. It's what they are watching. If Barack H. Obama would start doing stuff like that maybe he would be ahead in Ohio. C'mon Ellen is not the same as SNL and he's not a very good dancer anyway. People want their president to be a good dancer. John Travolta would be a good president. They want a good singer too. And nobody knows if Obama can sing. What is he hiding about his singing ability? A big cover-up maybe??? Maybe the NY Times will help him cover it up more. I'd be PO'd (again) if I was John McCain. Speaking of singing: Did you see the last American Idol? Two of my favorite girls were voted off. They were both so talented. What did you think of their song choice? It's all about song choice. (BTW: "Payback" is a song best sung loudly!) :)
BFF
j/k

arletap said...

Oh, Joanna. How you make me laugh.

Conservatives. Are they changing? Yes and no. I think they'd like to see themselves as changing, yet are still sticking to the same beliefs. The only actual change I see is in the decrease in support.

Johnny B said...

I believe that the answer to this is yes and no actually. I believe that in some ways the Republicans are changing, but yet in some ways they are just as stubborn as ever. It seems that Republicans seem to be spending more. Take health care for example. Government involvement seems to be higher as well. On the other hand, Republicans want to stay at war. They want to keep fighting a losing war and "stay the path". Overall, some parts are changing, some aren't.

arletap said...

note 2 self: re-fresh page b4 posting 2 c blatantly brilliant bretzperdaughter bashing. i<3it.

Anonymous said...

Um I can't even get over what just happened there...

I'm almost too frazzled to blog, but I think I need the points.

The only constant is change. Change is inevitable. I think the conservative movement has changed over the last couple decades, but the liberal movement has changed also. I don't think it matters so much about who is in office as what is happening while they are in office. Conservatives and liberals alike need to adapt to the current situation. In this upcoming election, the War in Iraq needs to be handled with policies that are more liberal than conservative. I know that not everyone will agree with that but I do think that some conservatives are starting to see that. Maybe that's why thier viewpoints on certain issues are changing a little? Maybe we're not seeing any drastic action yet but I definitly think conservatives are getting a little taste of what it's going to take to correct our mistakes in Iraq. To throw another proverb out there, Slow and steady (change) wins the race.

Jake_H said...

The conservative movement is changing. Just take a look at how liberal their nominee is. Although there is a change occurring it is not huge. Conservatives still agree on the hard hitting issues like abortion, stem cell research, and immigration. The change is how they handle these issues. For example, many Republicans do not think that McCain's plan for immigration is conservative enough and yet he is the nominee. Although Republicans may not like how McCain handles it, they still have the same overall viewpoint on immigration. So even though there is change, it is not drastic enough to make that much of a difference.

jamieg said...

I don't feel that the conservative movement is really changing as a whole. I think the hardcore conservatives probably have the same beliefs as they did thirty years ago. However, I think a lack of content with how the country is being run right now is pretty widespread, and conservatives have been targeted as at fault. So the movement isn't changing in general, but people are simply not happy with it anymore. Thus, it would be very smart for someone with more moderate ideals to run for president on the republican side if he actually wants to win.

ALSO: The website that made Vlad puke (or at least I'm pretty sure this is the one) has a new song from an Obama speech, this one featuring way more latinos, though I can't imagine why.

Vlad said...

¡Ah mi Dios! ¡Este es peor del otro vez!

Johnny B said...

Okay. Since you don't have a Super Tuesday II post...I'll just comment here I guess...

VT 1%
[x]Obama 53%
Clinton 45%

OH 0%
[x]McCain 0%

Yes. They are calling Ohio for John McCain with 0% in. I understand projections...but this kind of baffles me a little. Taking it to the extreme just seems to push it for me. I like knowing in advance...but I feel like CNN will be calling our next president sometime next week or something.

Just my two ¢.

jamieg said...

John, it's Super Twosday. Duh.

Johnny B said...

Dost thou forgive me? What shall I ever do! :]

MorganJ said...

Did anyone see McCain's latest endorsement? I don't know when it exactly happened, but I just heard it last night. It was by John Haggy... I'm not sure if that's how you spell it.

I am amazed at how radical some people can be... props to McCain for how he handled it!


Here's a news clip of it

http://youtube.com/watch?v=4dz0HwvSc88