It's Time to Stop Using the Word " Conservative "
Joan Bokaer printable version print page     Bookmark and Share
Thu May 18, 2006 at 10:05:11 PM EST
I must confess that I love the New York Times. My day doesn't feel complete if I haven't read it. But today's article, G.O.P. Conservatives Topple Veteran State Lawmakers in Pennsylvania reminds me of how little is understood about dominionism. The Times' article uses the word "conservative" eleven times -- I counted - yet this movement is anything but conservative.

One of the most influential "conservatives" in the movement, Paul Weyrich, founded the Free Congress Foundation in 1977, four years after he established the highly influential Heritage Foundation. To get a sense of Weyrich's influence, consider the weekly  "Weyrich Strategy Lunch" held in DC. when Congress is in session. His  strategy lunch is attended by 75 conservative leaders representing their organizations, and includes regular briefings by leading Bush administration officials and key sympathetic congressional leaders.

In 2001, the Free Congress Foundation (FCF) published a manifesto which should be required reading of all news reporters. This manifesto, called  The Integration of Theory and Practice: A Program for the New Traditionalist Movement states:

Our movement will be entirely destructive, and entirely constructive. We will not try to reform the existing institutions. We only intend to weaken them, and eventually destroy them.

Does this statement ring any bells?

We must reframe this struggle as a moral struggle, as a transcendent struggle, as a struggle between good and evil.

Below are some highlights from the manifesto. As you read them keep in mind strategies you've witnessed from the Republican Party in the past five years - since this treatise was written - and they might seem familiar.

"This essay is based on the belief that the truth of an idea is not the primary reason for its acceptance. Far more important is the energy and dedication of the idea's promoters-in other words, the individuals composing a social or political movement.

"We must, as Mr. Weyrich has suggested, develop a network of parallel cultural institutions existing side-by-side with the dominant leftist cultural institutions. The building and promotion of these institutions will require the development of a movement that will not merely reform the existing post-war conservative movement, but will in fact be forced to supersede it-if it is to succeed at all-because it will pursue a very different strategy and be premised on a very different view of its role in society.

"There will be three main stages in the unfolding of this movement. The first stage will be devoted to the development of a highly motivated elite able to coordinate future activities. The second stage will be devoted to the development of institutions designed to make an impact on the wider elite and a relatively small minority of the masses. The third stage will involve changing the overall character of American popular culture.

"Our movement will be entirely destructive, and entirely constructive. We will not try to reform the existing institutions. We only intend to weaken them, and eventually destroy them. We will endeavor to knock our opponents off-balance and unsettle them at every opportunity. All of our constructive energies will be dedicated to the creation of our own institutions.

"We will maintain a constant barrage of criticism against the Left. We will attack the very legitimacy of the Left. We will not give them a moment's rest. We will endeavor to prove that the Left does not deserve to hold sway over the heart and mind of a single American.  We will offer constant reminders that there is an alternative, there is a better way. When people have had enough of the sickness and decay of today's American culture, they will be embraced by and welcomed into the New Traditionalist movement. The rejection of the existing society by the people will thus be accomplished by pushing them and pulling them simultaneously.

"We will use guerrilla tactics to undermine the legitimacy of the dominant regime.
"We must create a countervailing force that is just as adept as the Left at intimidating people and institutions that are used as tools of left-wing activism but are not ideologically committed, such as Hollywood celebrities, multinational corporations, and university administrators. We must be feared, so that they will think twice before opening their mouths.

"We will be results-oriented rather than good intentions-oriented. Making a good-faith effort and being ideologically sound will be less important than advancing the goals of the movement.

"We need more people with fire in the belly, and we need a message that attracts those kinds of people.. We must reframe this struggle as a moral struggle, as a transcendent struggle, as a struggle between good and evil. And we must be prepared to explain why this is so. We must provide the evidence needed to prove this using images and simple terms.."





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That Weyrich quote had been on my mind lately,  as an historical understanding sorely lacking from liberal consciousness :

Our movement will be entirely destructive, and entirely constructive.

Few still understand the strategy of constructing a parallel culture with it own institutions.

by Bruce Wilson on Thu May 18, 2006 at 11:08:21 PM EST


One striking feature of the Free Congress Foundation Manifesto of 2001 is the blatant appeal to fear, and the attempt to bully critics into silence. For example, in the excerpt above, we read about the creation of a rightwing force dedicated to:
intimidating people and institutions that are used as tools of left-wing activism but are not ideologically committed, such as Hollywood celebrities, multinational corporations, and university administrators. We must be feared, so that they will think twice before opening their mouths.

One reason that Talk to Action is threatening to religious right groups is that they cannot intimidate or threaten us. Blogs cannot be reined in the same way that corporate-controlled media can be intimidated or tamed. What are they going to do -- fire us? We're volunteers. Pull our advertisements? Hardly. Stamp their feet and point? Just brings more attention to us -- and the fearless reporting and analysis of ideas, actions, and trends that we're generating every day.

We're dangerous to the religious right, because we do not fear them, and do not heed their constant, siren call, "Be afraid! Be afraid! Be afraid!"

As the angel said in proclaiming Jesus' birth, "Fear not, for I bring you news of great joy for all people!"

When there's good news for all people, there's no reason to fear. Tolerance and religious pluralism -- the foundation of American democracy -- is good news for all people.

by jhutson on Sat May 20, 2006 at 08:25:50 AM EST


I'm using Michelle Goldberg's "Christian Nationalist" term for the moment, because I grew up with self-identified conservatives who are rational and thoughtful people. Even George Will and William Buckley seem "liberal" compared to today's "conservatives." Anyway, conservatives believe in slow and careful reform. What people like Weyrich want is a complete and radical overhaul of society. There's nothing "conservative" about that.

by GreenEyed Lilo on Sun Jun 04, 2006 at 12:35:01 PM EST


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