Friday, April 27, 2012

A Phoenix Rising: Common-Good Conservatism

A tea bag burning. (Photo: coconinoco / Flickr)
Friday, 27 April 2012 14:25 By Michael Stafford and D R Tucker, Truthout | Op-Ed 

Editors' Note: After Mike Lofgren's seminal "Goodbye to All That: Reflections of a GOP Operative Who Left the Cult" comes a cry for a reinvented conservatism from two Republicans disillusioned with what their party has become and convinced that the conservative political tradition is salvageable.

Truthout is posting this piece to stimulate a healthy dialogue about whether there is a conservative political tradition that can actually work with progressives. Or is that just naïve? We hope that you read and comment with your reaction.
 
In mythology, the phoenix is a beautiful bird that bursts into flames at the end of its life as it dies. From the ashes of the old, a new phoenix emerges. This cycle of birth, fiery death and rebirth, makes the phoenix a symbol of hope and renewal.

Today, American conservatism has degenerated into an intellectually and morally bankrupt ideology. It offers nothing more than bumper-sticker slogans that pander to the prejudices and ignorance of the lowest common denominator in order to enrich and empower an oligarchic elite. Angry, cruel and sneering, it is exemplified by the carnival barkers on talk radio and Fox News. High in volume, but devoid of substance, it has no long-term future because it lacks credible solutions to the range of very real problems American society is facing.  READ MORE
 

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