The Conservative Mind Has Become Diseased

[Skroe]

In today's Washington Post, Michael Gerson, a conservative, wrote perhaps the most succinct and stinging summary of the sickness that has befallen the conservative movement and republicans. It hits every nail on the head so precisely about how I feel things have gone due to Trump, his cult, and this bizarre paranoia on the right that the left is going to take everybody's guns and have the UN manage our schools and nonsense like that (and let's be clear, it is nonsense, and if you're going to argue otherwise, so see a shrink, you're an unwell person).

Many on the center and the left will see this and be like "well obviously". But to those here on the right, particularly this Trump supporting right, this is an indictment of the dark road you're walking down. Think about it before its too late.

To many observers on the left, the initial embrace of Seth Rich conspiracy theories by conservative media figures was merely a confirmation of the right’s deformed soul. But for those of us who remember that Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity were once relatively mainstream Reaganites, their extended vacation in the fever swamps is even more disturbing. If once you knew better, the indictment is deeper.

The cruel exploitation of the memory of Rich, a Democratic National Committee staffer who was shot dead last summer, was horrifying and clarifying. The Hannity right, without evidence, accused Rich rather than the Russians of leaking damaging DNC emails. In doing so, it has proved its willingness to credit anything — no matter how obviously deceptive or toxic — to defend President Trump and harm his opponents. Even if it means becoming a megaphone for Russian influence.

The basic, human questions are simple. How could conservative media figures not have felt — felt in their hearts and bones — the God-awful ickiness of it? How did the genes of generosity and simple humanity get turned off? Is this insensibility the risk of prolonged exposure to our radioactive political culture? If so, all of us should stand back a moment and tend to the health of our revulsion.

But this failure of decency is also politically symbolic. Who is the politician who legitimized conspiracy thinking at the highest level? Who raised the possibility that Ted Cruz’s father might have been involved in the assassination of John F. Kennedy? Who hinted that Hillary Clinton might have been involved in the death of Vince Foster, or that unnamed liberals might have killed Justice Antonin Scalia? Who not only questioned President Barack Obama’s birth certificate, but raised the prospect of the murder of a Hawaiian state official in a coverup? “How amazing,” Trump tweeted in 2013, “the State Health Director who verified copies of Obama’s ‘birth certificate’ died in plane crash today. All others lived.”

We have a president charged with maintaining public health who asserts that the vaccination schedule is a dangerous scam of greedy doctors. We have a president charged with representing all Americans who has falsely accused thousands of Muslims of celebrating in the streets following the 9/11 attacks.

In this mental environment, alleging a Rich-related conspiracy was predictable. This is a concrete example of the mainstreaming of destructive craziness.

Those conservatives who believe that the confirmation of Justice Neil M. Gorsuch is sufficient justification for the Trump presidency are ignoring Trump’s psychic and moral destruction of the conservative movement and the Republican Party. Clinton, with a small number of changed votes, would have defeated Republicans. But Trump is doing a kind of harm beyond anything Clinton could have done. He is changing the party’s most basic moral and political orientations. He is shaping conservatism in his image and ensuring an eventual defeat more complete, and an eventual exile more prolonged, than Democrats could have dreamed.

The conservative mind, in some very visible cases, has become diseased. The movement has been seized by a kind of discrediting madness, in which conspiracy delusions figure prominently. Institutions and individuals that once served an important ideological role, providing a balance to media bias, are discrediting themselves in crucial ways. With the blessings of a president, they have abandoned the normal constraints of reason and compassion. They have allowed political polarization to reach their hearts, and harden them. They have allowed polarization to dominate their minds, and empty them.

Conspiracy theories often involve a kind of dehumanization. Human tragedy is made secondary — something to be exploited rather than mourned. The narrative of conspiracy takes precedence over the meaning of a life and the suffering of a family. A human being is made into an ideological prop and used on someone else’s stage. As the Rich family has attested, the pain inflicted is quite real.

A conspiratorial approach to politics is fully consistent with other forms of dehumanization — of migrants, refugees and “the other” more generally. Men and women are reduced to types and presented as threats. They also become props in an ideological drama. They are presented as representatives of a plot involving invasion and infiltration, rather than being viewed as individuals seeking opportunity or fleeing oppression and violence. This also involves callousness, cruelty and conspiracy thinking.

In Trump’s political world, this project of dehumanization is far along. The future of conservatism now depends on its capacity for revulsion. And it is not at all clear whether this capacity still exists.

The deeply irrational and paranoid fear that exists at the heart of Trump supporters is pathological and will do more to destroy conservatism than any liberal candidate will ever do.

They need to find sanity, decency and truth soon, or the wave that washes failures like Trump away will crash down upon the most fundamental beliefs of conservatism.

And frankly... if the right doesn't purge itself of this disease, it deserves what is coming to it.

[Milchshake]

And frankly... if the right doesn't purge itself of this disease, it deserves what is coming to it.

Sorry to Gershon's rose colored glasses, but Reagan is patient zero for this current mess.

His small government platitudes were just a veneer for a person that distrusted government, "Government is the problem". He basically helped to enshrine an anti-government ideology into a major political party.
Its seems kinda obvious what the inevitable end game is, when people keep electing an anti government party to run the government. Modern Republican's have done more to erode trust in government than anyone else. The Anarchists should be jealous.

The most cunning accomplishments of Ronald Reagan and the Reaganites was to take that free-floating rage, rage about the failures of government and turn it to the advantage. While weakening the government and setting up more failures.

Basically it parallels the rise of Fox News. Profiting off of massive cynicism, and rolling those profits into cycle after cycle of promoting cynicism.


Unfortunately the only time this fever breaks is in the face of a major disaster. Sorry not you 9/11, but in the Katrina's or Lehman Bother's sized disasters. When the next major flood, wildfire, or earthquake hits. Then people will demand competent government.


Well only to forget again after 8 years or so. The US greatest problem is massive historical amnesia, we never learn anything because we dont remember anything.

[Nadiru]

The deeply irrational and paranoid fear that exists at the heart of Trump supporters is pathological and will do more to destroy conservatism than any liberal candidate will ever do.

They need to find sanity, decency and truth soon, or the wave that washes failures like Trump away will crash down upon the most fundamental beliefs of conservatism.

And frankly... if the right doesn't purge itself of this disease, it deserves what is coming to it.

The disease consuming conservatism today is the Tax Revolt which got its start from Reagan in the 70s during his second term as Governor, and again from '80-'88 during his Presidential administration; Trump is a disease insofar as he refuses to engage with the primary dilemma that taxes must be raised to bring the US economy into internal balance.

Gershon's article boils down to trying to tone police Trump, and you ought be embarrassed that you linked it; not that you have any shame when it comes to this topic.

[Stacyrect]

Right isn't so bad, they just have a lot of really shitty people in it, same as the left. Their are more people who align with Trump, then that of the Republican party today. Regardless if Trump is 4 years or 8, Trump has set a new pace, a new tone, one that won't be forgotten on the right. Trump's brand of success, wittiness, and hard work will become a new standard of measure for republicans. Obama/Bernie did the same for the left. Progressives really hate establishment democrats. Trump supporters really don't have a lot of love for establishment republicans. Establishment goons are despised on both sides of the aisle.

[Low Hanging Fruit]

You give them way to much credit. I would say over half of his supporters only one thing matters to them. The letter next to his name. It is an R. It doesn't matter if he openly sells his soul to Putin, fires nuclear weapons against his own people, and takes their medicare. The electron will come around and they will see Trump with an R, and someone else with a D, and pick the R every single time. You know.. because paw said they be good.

[Xirrohon]

the alternative doesnt seem much better. We need a third party.

[ati87]

Right isn't so bad, they just have a lot of really shitty people in it, same as the left. Their are more people who align with Trump, then that of the Republican party today. Regardless if Trump is 4 years or 8, Trump has set a new pace, a new tone, one that won't be forgotten on the right. Trump's brand of success, wittiness, and hard work will become a new standard of measure for republicans. Obama/Bernie did the same for the left. Progressives really hate establishment democrats. Trump supporters really don't have a lot of love for establishment republicans. Establishment goons are despised on both sides of the aisle.

The right voted for Trump...a buffoon with major daddy issues that can't pass a week before some crisis he himself started.

Does anybody in their right mind thought he would do fine when president? All of the crap we see now was predicted the moment he announced his run for president, which btw he had to hire actors to cheer for him.

[Lionhearte0]

...or, maybe, just maybe - hear me out now; maybe the Right doesn't really think that but the Left has made you think that the Right thinks that in order to create an enemy to instill fear into their own base, via Climate Change and other radicalized notions of end times scenarios that will happen if we don't do X.

Maybe, just maybe, it is you who are the conspiracy theorists.

[Damajin]

Washington Post, the de facto source for all things conservative, right leaning, etc. /s

The article is very run of the mill, as far as pandering to Establishment fears and also locking onto the stereotypes/lowest common denominators of the right.

Grats on a low hanging fruit post though.

[Jeezy911]

I keep hearing about this incoming wave against the GOP because of Trump but just am not seeing it. In fact this may have been trumps most successful week of the presidency with a very effective foreign policy trip. Also, don't confuse hate for trump with support toward the left, the radicals on the far left have almost killed the party.

[Adam Jensen]

Yep.

Once you're unable to reject fake news because it "agrees with your worldview," then there's a problem.

[Saucexorzski]

Doesn't the GoP need the votes of the folks who elected trump for whomever they run next time?

[Deleted]

Yep.

Once you're unable to reject fake news because it "agrees with your worldview," then there's a problem.

This is not just a conservative problem. Fake news is just as big amongst liberals.

[Moralgy]

You give them way to much credit. I would say over half of his supporters only one thing matters to them. The letter next to his name. It is an R. It doesn't matter if he openly sells his soul to Putin, fires nuclear weapons against his own people, and takes their medicare. The electron will come around and they will see Trump with an R, and someone else with a D, and pick the R every single time. You know.. because paw said they be good.

^^^ If there is anything wrong with conservatism atm, it is that it is attached completely to the letter R and a good portion sees the letter D as evil/unamerican. The Rs will defend their team captain no matter what until that captain loses/is out of office then move on to the next one. Ds are not that different in this regard, but it doesn't have this idea that conservatives are literally Satan trying to destroy America running through it.

[Sunseeker]

...or, maybe, just maybe - hear me out now; maybe the Right doesn't really think that but the Left has made you think that the Right thinks that in order to create an enemy to instill fear into their own base, via Climate Change and other radicalized notions of end times scenarios that will happen if we don't do X.

Maybe, just maybe, it is you who are the conspiracy theorists.

Says the guy who literally just posted a conspiracy theory.

[Felya]

...or, maybe, just maybe - hear me out now; maybe the Right doesn't really think that but the Left has made you think that the Right thinks that in order to create an enemy to instill fear into their own base, via Climate Change and other radicalized notions of end times scenarios that will happen if we don't do X.

Maybe, just maybe, it is you who are the conspiracy theorists.

Both Ayn Rand and the guy who brought back American conservatives in US, Berry Goldwater, both agree with his sentiments. In fact, your post proves him right. Reagan fundamentally changed the GOP into what they are now, which even Ron Paul said in the 80s, but backed off during his last presidential bid. This isn't liberals, but your fear of liberals...

- - - Updated - - -

You give them way to much credit. I would say over half of his supporters only one thing matters to them. The letter next to his name. It is an R. It doesn't matter if he openly sells his soul to Putin, fires nuclear weapons against his own people, and takes their medicare. The electron will come around and they will see Trump with an R, and someone else with a D, and pick the R every single time. You know.. because paw said they be good.

You are confusing republicans and conservatives. Hillary was the more of a conservative president, than Trump. The last president to actually successfully hit the most conservative ideals in the last 30+ years, is Bill Clinton. The problem with public not seeing that, is what the OP is talking about.

Trump does not represent conservatives...

[mvaliz]

You give them way to much credit. I would say over half of his supporters only one thing matters to them. The letter next to his name. It is an R. It doesn't matter if he openly sells his soul to Putin, fires nuclear weapons against his own people, and takes their medicare. The electron will come around and they will see Trump with an R, and someone else with a D, and pick the R every single time. You know.. because paw said they be good.

I've often said that if it was revealed that Osama Bin Laden was alive and became an american citizen, and ran for President that over half the Republicans would still vote for him.

- - - Updated - - -

Trump does not represent conservatives...

As I've been saying for so long - what's going on in the whitehouse right now is no longer Liberals Vs Conservatives, nor Democrats vs Republicans... it's Liberals, Republicans, Conservatives, Democrats and everybody else vs Insanely Stupid People. Stupid people who call themselves "conservatives/republicans" but really are not.

These are the same nitwits who think that every protest is a mass wave of liberals being upset - no, it's not. These crowds get large because a LARGER number of people than just "liberals" are joining in, and those including MANY Republicans... ACTUAL republicans!

[Garnier Fructis]

Right isn't so bad, they just have a lot of really shitty people in it, same as the left. Their are more people who align with Trump, then that of the Republican party today. Regardless if Trump is 4 years or 8, Trump has set a new pace, a new tone, one that won't be forgotten on the right. Trump's brand of success, wittiness, and hard work will become a new standard of measure for republicans. Obama/Bernie did the same for the left. Progressives really hate establishment democrats. Trump supporters really don't have a lot of love for establishment republicans. Establishment goons are despised on both sides of the aisle.

Success: No major achievements in his presidency to date.
Wittiness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHAUy9NoPfY
Hard Work: This guy is setting all sorts of records for vacations.

You guys will forget this 'new pace, new tone' or the country will forget about you.

[zenkai]

Care to provide some evidence of this?

Are you fucking serious? LMAO!

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics...-media-w471074

Fake news is all around, but I understand partisans tend to believe what ever fits their agenda.

[Roiids]

I've often said that if it was revealed that Osama Bin Laden was alive and became an american citizen, and ran for President that over half the Republicans would still vote for him.

- - - Updated - - -



As I've been saying for so long - what's going on in the whitehouse right now is no longer Liberals Vs Conservatives, nor Democrats vs Republicans... it's Liberals, Republicans, Conservatives, Democrats and everybody else vs Insanely Stupid People. Stupid people who call themselves "conservatives/republicans" but really are not.

These are the same nitwits who think that every protest is a mass wave of liberals being upset - no, it's not. These crowds get large because a LARGER number of people than just "liberals" are joining in, and those including MANY Republicans... ACTUAL republicans!

Disagree, liberals are the real sickness. The liberal hive mind is beyond disturbing. The im offended and can't listen to anyone without getting pissed or rioting. Thats a disease.


[Infracted]