CONSERVATISM IN REMISSION

                            BySy Schechtman

 

       Many years agoand much younger,Iindeed thought and spokeas a childin the duplicitous field of politicalallegianceand belief.   And I became one of those heroic hereticswhochanged to a Reagan Republican ex-democrat: one who after much anguishing soul searchingleft the enveloping and  protecting folds of the Roosevelt New Deal enlightenmentand boltedto therelativelystaidranks of “radical” conservatism.  Oxymoronic contradictionsto be sure, butsomehow with soul satisfying action to sooth my dubious currentperceptions at the time, of the “malaise”that President Carter gloomily diagnosedthat our collective national psyche was mired in.Thenwe had the seemingJimmy Carter ineptitude with the Iranian hostage crisis—and the failed rescue attempt--economic stagflation,and much social unrest among the young.  Now we have conditions that also breed unrest;an unhappy foreign situation in the seemingly failed Iraq war,an economythat is not performingadequately according to everyone’s exalted expectations and teeters on the brink of recession,and evidently some uncertainty in our social fabric,with both the gender problem of Hilary Clintons’ evidently failed bid to be the firstwoman presidentand Barack Obama’s strong superceding effort to be the first black presidenton the Democratic ticket.  And with very little national experience to lead the most powerful nation in the history of the world.  And, with many critical issues to be confrontedin regard to our continuing worldwide hegemonyin affairs of foreign policy ---- and looming debt burdensboth at home and abroad.All of this seemingly reflectedin the evidently chronically weakexchange rate of the US dollar.

       It is not unusual for the opposing, out of power party,  to ask or just infer “ are you better off now than at the lastgeneral election?”.The answer now apparently would be in the negativeaccording  to most polls.  Certainlyin regard to our somewhat embattledbut still remarkably resilient outgoing president Bush,  whose ratings are dubiouslydaunting,somewhere  in the low 30%at best.    However, equally unimpressive are the low ratings for the both houses of Congress, completely Democratic for the last two years.   And the  exuberantmantraof the Obama message is the compelling chant of change,which is reinforcedby only a rather thin gruel of substance of new ideas,leading many of us back to the wry complaint of years ago of “where’s the beef?”,or the more formal profundity of “ the more things change the more they remain the same”.   This time the dynamic is not the momentous tide ofnew ideas or new modes of thought,but of   charismaticpersonality and oratory and perhaps an empty suit when faced with all the other traumas of governing this quasi world empire that our nation has become. Personally--- not this time aroundfor me!After another four years to round out at least one completed six year senatorial termImay change my mind.But so far,old duffer that I am,I am not willing to change my Republican votefor a new, increasedbureaucracy andmost probably increased taxes that end up rather ineffectually spent.  Which is why I left the New Dealcamp for Reagan years ago.   I am well aware of Hilary Clinton’s “It takes a Village” concept to accomplish vital concerted goals,and the Bushfederal failureat the Katrina debacle.(Hardly anybody seems to blame the lower echelonDemocratic Louisianagovernor or New Orleans mayor).   And hardly anybody seems awareof the mammoth change brought about by the new BushDepartment of Homeland Security now in place and the end of any terrorism here since that epic new overhaul of our security bureaucracy.   So far a very praiseworthy event!     That was a very necessaryevent in joint cooperativeand coordinatedendeavor,a sort of national “village building”if youwill, where joint effort of small and large entitieswere positively employed. As witness our grudging compliance nowwith the semi disrobing at airline check in harassments that are now the inevitable and still tolerable disruptions.

       But still not a universal paradigmfor all national effort.  We do not believe,ultimately, “that throwing money atproblems”is necessarily the final answer, as always seems to bethe case with an ever expanding federal bureaucracy. Indeed, the greatest conservative victory was the reform of the welfare dole,cutting drasticallythe number of people eligible for government relief payments.This was legislation sponsored by a Republican controlled congress in l994, during the so called mid term election Gingrich mini revolution, which Clinton vetoed twice before signingand promised to amend when and if reelected.  He did win again but never revisited the welfare turf again,so successful was this legislation in ending excessive dependenceon government welfare handouts, despite much wailing and moaning of inhuman treatment at its inception.   Indeed, this legislation, Republican initiated when they dominated Congress during the 1994-96 sessions,Clinton always alluded to as one of he was most proud of,fondly, if mendaciously, claiming it as hisown.  

       President Clinton’smost splendidhour politically—from a partisan Democratic view point --- came undoubtedly during the budget summitrynegotiations with Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich at Christmastimein l995.  He refused to sign temporary appropriation bills authorizingfederal salary checks during the two holiday weeks because of his disagreementwith the Gingrich led Republican congressional majority over what he claimed were vital negative details that the Republicans were insisting on in the final budget deal.  In effect this resulted in no pay checks over the   crucial spending time of the Christmasholiday season.  And he managed, with the aid of a compliant, sympatheticpress to blame the Gingrich led Republicans for their callous neglect of the sanctity of the holiday season.  In effect, it wasas if Gingrich and Company,not Dr. Seuss’ Grinch,whostole Christmas!(And not kind hearted President Clinton who refused to authorize the Christmas salarychecks!)

       Indeed,from this point on, Clinton rallied his somewhat battered forces, also unhappy with his First Lady wifeHillary’s Star Chambersecret sessions about a new encompassing federal health care insurance approach. Which when released some time prior to this time was a 1329 page document ofbreathtaking and frightening scope thatwas proposed by many eminent health specialists in private multi month deliberations; strangely not invitedhowever, to the lengthy deliberations were   many equally eminent current providers---insurance people, pharmaceutical experts and other equally prestigious practicing physicians and scientists in the health care field.So daunting and detailed was this document that most people could not fathom it.  Indeed one BetsyMcCaughey“a health care historian”rose to prominenceclaiming to have read the entire almost 1400 pages; she claimed authoritatively that this proposedlegislation made it illegal to buy health care on yourown.This was patently not true, but valid other legitimate criticism and sheer distrust abounded.   George Pataki, a Republicanthen an unknown state senator, was so impressed, initially, with young scholar and polemicist McCaughey that he chose  her as his running mate for his first term run for governor of New York State against the well entrenched three term democrat Mario Cuomo.   Pataki won then and two times more,but his relationship with his first lieutenant governorended after his first term.

        All this toward the end of Clinton’s first termwhen things lookedratherbleak,but were starting to   rebound as Clinton “triangulated”,becoming holier than thouas an almost neutral centrist above the squabble of partisanship, on the advice of his newly acquired strategist Dick Morris,  who is now a turncoat Republican advocateand decided Hilary Clinton hater. And public empathy returned as lots of working class voters remembered the Gingrich Grinch of Christmastime and no pay checks temporarily.Although, as I have indicated, democratic President Clinton was equally culpable.

       Today, of course,with the foreignentanglement of Iraq in a very dubiousway, and the economy in one of its cyclical downturns,the conservativetide isebbing.   But now,as we stagger into the culminating home stretch of our almost ceaseless campaigning,we see both candidatesnow do the necessary centrist turn of some moderation appealingto the large group of uncommitted who wisely have not yet decided where their true self interestwill be served.  It becomes ultimately a test of character—who would you be more comfortable with inviting into your own home to discuss your personal feelings on the overriding issues of the day. We have health care,enviromental pollution,oil dependency, income inequality,and illegalimmigrationat the top of a short, immediate list.  But loominglargeright behindis the massive energy transfer problem which we must nowaddress, from oil to other more reliable and cheaper sources,  thedarkening skies of Islamic fanaticism against our country,andthe massive entitlement financial accomodationthat is almost upon usas all the new retirees come on line and are eligible for all the promised entitlements of their golden retirement years.     

       We see already some flip flops in previously declared positions that the oppositiongleefully points out and is thendenied as distortions of the original statements.   Most probably the end result will be positions less divergent than is now apparent,and subsequent events, rightfully,  will help   decide our course.   Even the Iraq War maycall not for complete withdrawalbut reduced troop status as we have now in many other allied countries.   Our health care system needs adjustmentbut not necessarilycomplete government controland funding.  A graduated co-pay system with no charge for the majority of people and some fees for the really affluent people, might curb excessive fee scale padding of questionableoptional procedures.  The idea of making haste slowly is certainly the way to go.    Some electronic system for tracking immigrantsshould be able to control and contain and eliminate illegal immigration.   And an increase in border surveillance with added personnelshould also be effective in supplementingthe fence of the Mexican border now being completed.And the next upward cycle in our  economy shouldadd positive wage gainsto ourpay checks once again.

       Therealityis that all of these key concerns at the moment are easily susceptible to compromise.   Theprime concern of both parties and their adherentsshould be the power of judicial and administrativeappointments---all those people, unelected,  who have to interpret and implement existing law. And interpretingimplies more than a tinge of making or revising existinglaw. On the federal judiciary level this is an important, almost eternal lingering on.   All appointments to the federal judiciary are for life,and the current Supreme Court will have about 4 or 5 vacancies in the next eight years that the incumbent president will have to fill.    The fact that these are lifetime appointmentsmakes their innate political leanings mostimportant---a liberal or conservative court becomes part of most major political considerations.   Indeed some hotly contestedlaws or events demand the High Courts’ decision, as to who won theBush-- GorePresidential electionin 2000!.   And, of course there is the abortion decision, which my be revisitedonceagain if one or two more conservative justices are appointed.       (There are now three sitting justiceswho would vote for some important abortion law revisions.)

       And, incidentally, is not 15 or 20 yearsenough for these worthies intimes where the rate of event change is acceleratingand many times this tends to alter or even confound oursense of moral as well as legal certitude?And what would our founding fathers have thought in this continuing morass of change?

       For Conservatives, indeed, the bottom line isdoubtful.Obama, much to his credit,  has used the internet as his new technique in fund raising, so far with great success turning the previously cashpoor Democratic coffers into a three or four times margin over the conventional somewhat antiquated Republicanfunding raising.   McCain looks a bit like a much olderand smallDavid  in the ring against a substantialGoliath.   But the American public has always liked the underdogs,provided that their message had substance.  Harry Trumanwent cross country on the rear platform of a passenger train lambasting a “do nothing congress”and at each whistle stop drew small but enthusiastic crowds shouting “give ‘em hell Harry!”And “goliath”Tom Dewey’swellfinanced campaignwas beaten.    And, of course,Harry Truman, no college education except a continuingpost graduate course in the College ofHard Knocks,continued Roosevelt’smonumental taskofpost World War II reconstruction and in his own right became one of the greatest presidentsof the twentieth century.

       My conservative feelings have always favored as much private initiative as possible.   However I do not fear the enlarging growth aspectsof government’s watchful eye.  While human greed harnessed by free market capitalism ---and the enlarged share of personal wealththis makes possible---inspires great productive efforts,  we all see some abuses that must be curbedby necessary government control and regulation.(Human greed does go to excess at times and we can becomenot “my brother’s keeper” but his predator.)And I applaud some degreeof affirmative action to help the education of the handicapped and poor to ensure a level playingfield and equal opportunity in this technologydriven world. Equal opportunity, but not equal outcomes!Above all I am a great believer inmeritocracy.  The best and the brightest must be amply rewarded.  The right amounts, of course, has something to do with the prevailingoptimism or pessimismof thetimes.    But alsonepotism is part of my makeup!  I want my kids to succeed by meritocratic meansbut I have no qualms about nepotism to make the upward path they are on in our competitive society as pleasant as possible.Therefore the punishing inheritance (death) taxshould bewinnowed down to mega rich transfers only.

       But above all I prayfor a leader who has the wisdomand leadershipto understand the true temper of the time.   Nixon went to China in an astounding turnaboutthatwas a plus for our country,  and Lyndon Johnson escalated the Vietnamese conflict considerably after painting Goldwater as thetrue hawkwho might use atomic weapons.  So I do pray  for some divine guidance to grace our President’s decisions or his—or her--- just getting lucky with the right moves at the right time!                                                                                                                     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

       Conservative, compassionate conservatism sgotill means rewarding individual initiative and effort.  But alas it also has to address the reality of a large central bureaucracy,and the meld of private and public(as in Katrina)must be strengthened.  Above all we are a blend of affirmative action and meritocracy.   Helpingthe disadvantagedso that an equal playing field is possible but ensuring that the best and the brightestare amply rewarded.   Also the important role of nepotism  in ourpersonal life.We parents now and in the future want our children’s future to be

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

List of topics

Obama has all the monmey

TRruman back of train campaign

Mcanin you can invite into house

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TRumsnfrom bacvk of train,Bush and Kerry,who would yuou welcome into our living parlors

 

 

 

 

Change!The more things change the more they remain the some!