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Trainwreck: The End of the Conservative Revolution (and Not a Moment Too Soon)

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A book that opens with the sentence "The modern conservative movement is dead" is bound to solicit one-star reviews from those who call themselves "proud Republicans." Press goes on "the conservative revolution is finally over--and it was a total bust. If the Republicans were a restaurant, they'd have been closed by the Board of Health. If they were a building, they'd have been condemned. If they were a Hollywood starlet, they'd be in rehab."

He notes an easily overlooked fact: conservatives are better at tearing down than accomplishing things. He notes that none of the ten items in Newt Gingrich's Contract With America is actually law... despite 14 years during which conservatives have vcariously controled of the House, the Senate, the Presidency, the Supreme Court. Not one item accomplished.
Press' funny and insightful new book goes on to reveal the "Ten Things that Republicans Hope You Never Find Out." These are

o Why the conservative movement that spawned Reagan, Gingrich, and Bush is now dead.

o How many core conservative principles the Republicans have betrayed.

o How Republicans have made us less safe, not more.

o How Republicans became the biggest spenders of all time.

o How much bigger the federal government has grown under conservative rule.

o How Republicans got caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

o How Republicans went from protecting the environment to plundering it.

o How the party of peacekeepers became the party of perpetual war.

o How Reagan was worse than Nixon-and Bush worse than both.

0 Why conservatives can never again be trusted with power.

The last point is sure to incite some right-wing nutjobs out there... Press' makes the point that people who hate government should never again be allowed to run it (he does state conservatives could be a useful break on too much liberal power).

There are eight chapters

1) "Loving the Great Outdoors" - environment.

2) "Restoring Honor and Dignity to Government" - about unethical conservatives from Bob Ney to Duke Cunningham to Ted Stevens to Tom DeLay to John Doolittle.

3) "Making Americans Safer" - about security issues.

4) "A Safeguard Againast Tyranny" - about how the Bush Administration betrayed conaservative principles to spy on its own citizens and institute torture.

5) "Avoiding Pointless Foreign Adventures" - Iraq and Iran

6) "Cutting Waste, Fraud, and Abuse"- how the GOP policies led to the FEMA's failure, collapsing bridges, unsafe planes, failure to regulate the banking industry and so on.

7) "The Party of Fiscal Responsibility" - how Bush and a GOP Congress turn a surplus into the largest deficit in history

8) "Less power to Washington" - how the GOP uses states' right rhetoric when not in charge, but behave the opposite way (cf Terry Schivo) when they are in charge.

Each chapter concludes with a "Lessons Learned" section.

In his conclusion, Press makes the case that it isn't Bush who failed conservatism (he lists a spate of recent titles), but conservatism's inate principles of disliking government mean they cannot efficiently run a government. "Because, as a governing philosophy grounded in the task of opposition, it is inadequate to the task of leadership... Putting conservatives in charge of government is like trying to build a house with a saw and a sledgehammer. No matter how skilled the carpenter, they're just the wrong tools for the job."

I first heard of this book as it was plugged on the Stephanie Miller show. That was enough of a recommendation right there. I went ahead and got it last week, and I was not sorry I did. The book is a little bit dry, almost like a text book. But it is full of FACTS, which are not talking points, and which cannot be DISPROVED -- only DISAGREED with. I highly recommend all responsible adult Americans read this book, and decide for themselves if they want to give the Republicans another chance.

Press correctly points out that the modern conservative regime of the past eight years has exhibited behavior contrary to the historical principles of conservativism, limited government, non-intervention, state's rights, moral values, etc. Furthermore, he seems correct in assuming that these behaviors are the inevitable result of conservative dominance over the three branches of the federal government, and to give conservatives that kind of power again would be unwise until they show themselves capable of practicing what they preach- living by the moral standards they proscribe for the rest of America, supporting state's rights even when the states choose policies contrary to their own platform, and actively supporting small government, not a government that is simply a tool of big corporations.
This reader is not wholly convinced, however, that keeping conservatives as a perpetual dissenting minority, the Washington Generals to the Democratic Harlem Globetrotters, is a good thing. Small government conservatives have been successful in many state governments, and by holding power in either the legislature or executive, would counterbalance the modern progressives who seem to run the Democratic Party. Besides, the idea that the American people are ready to completely abandon the George Bush, Ronald Reagan brand of conservativism seems more like a bout of progressive wishful thinking than reasoned political reality. This platform will continue to attract voters for many more election cycles.

Press lays out the disastrous record of those who are label themselves "conservatives" but who are conserving nothing. But the far-right media and talkers always do a better job of connecting with people's fear and suspicion. It takes a true regressive (ex: Hannity / Limbaugh) to really rile up a mob. Press is too calm and reasoned to be very successful in political writing.

Talk show host Bill Press has done a valuable service in writing this book. There is a lot of confusion regarding political terms in this country that have largely lost their meaning. This has come about due to the deceitful work of figures like Sean Hannity and the corporatist movement he represents that has co-opted the term "conservative." As Bill Press has pointed out in another book, right-wing elites have similiarly co-opted the term "Christian" How the Republicans Stole Religion: Why the Religious Right is Wrong about Faith & Politics and What We Can Do to Make it Right, much like Roman emperor Constantine did Constantine's Sword.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt warned us of the depridations of the "industrial dictatorship," and that is why Rush Limbaugh hates FDR and the government agencies (when they are not corrupted by Big Business) that can curb the excesses of the "aristocracy of our monied corporations" (to use Thomas Jefferson's phrase). "Train Wreck" outlines the many ways in which the "conservative" movement has operated in opposition to actual conservative values - they have not been fiscally responsible as our massive debt illustrates, they have directed an interventionist military agenda The Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic (The American Empire Project), they are disrespecting our environment and squandering natural resources Crimes Against Nature: How George W. Bush and His Corporate Pals Are Plundering the Country and Hijacking Our Democracy, they are disrespecting states' rights on issues like medical marijuana Waiting to Inhale, and they are trouncing our civil liberties Unconstitutional - The War On Our Civil Liberties. What we have been witnessing hasn't actually been a "conservative revolution," but rather a corporate coup The Corporation. A segment of the population, around 20%, has profited from this coup. Maybe they work in the fossil fuel, pharmaceutical or prison industries; so they are happy to see our government become the representative of business executives instead of the general public. And those that have profited are politically active and are misinformed each and every day by radio hosts across the country, and by corporate news channels like Fox, which receives sponsorship dollars from war profiteers like Lockheed Martin. In terms of media access, political influence and wealth distribution, the U.S. is becoming more and more like a two-tiered almost feudal society that we're accustomed to seeing in the Third World. And to maintain these disparities and injustices, we have a growing network of government agencies like the CIA, DIA, NSA, DEA and other ominous developments. Today's "conservatives" bemoan the "nanny" state (that provides social spending that the general public wants), but they love the authoritarian "daddy" state that surveils us, imprisons hundreds of thousands, regulates small business to death, and makes life miserable for economic refugees from nations where the "conservative" revolution has had even worse effects Free Market Missionaries: The Corporate Manipulation of Community Values.

Fortunately, as Press suggests, corporatism may have reached its apex regarding the ways it has colonized the American mind. In addition to Bill's show, there are other liberal hosts like Thom Hartmann What Would Jefferson Do? and Bob Kincaid who are informing liberals and creating a community of activists. There are also cable tv efforts like Current TV, Link TV and Free Speech TV to counter the right-wing noise machine; as well as a huge growth in independent films that are exposing the deceptions of our corporate media Manufacturing Consent - Noam Chomsky and the Media.
Concerned Americans do have opportunities to take the country back from the right-wing elite that has led us down this anti-democratic and militarist path, but it will take efforts beyond electing the right person to the presidency. John Dewey said "democracy begins in conversation." The progressive revolution begins when we start to have the conversations that Hannity and other "perception managers" don't want us to have.

"I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. As a result of the war, corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed."
- Abraham Lincoln

I consider myself an independent but I cannot argue with the information in this book. I will never be tempted to vote republican again

Republicans make us safer!
- No... they don't.

Conservative rule means smaller federal government!
- No... it doesn't.

Conservatives love the enviornment!
- No... they don't.

Conservatives are fiscally responsible!
- No... they aren't.

Conservatives talk a big game, but every time they come up short and show that they are unable to rule.
From the enviroment, to the economy. From foreign policy to smaller federal power... conservatives can't deliver... and Bill Press shows you how.

There are many books that expose conservative lies, but this is one of the better ones. It's easy to read, and Press is funny throughout.

You can't argue with the facts... but like Stephen Colbert said:
"Facts have a liberal bias."

Also recommended:
- Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right

"The modern conservative movement is dead" proclaims Press in his opening sentence. Champions of fiscal responsibility have delivered bloated federal budgets and historic deficits, those previously leery of foreign entanglements have taken us into imperial wars, and former apostles of honesty and integrity in government have instead used their power to enrich themselves or evade the rule of law.

Bush II does not deserve all the blame - he didn't make the mess we're in today all by himself. "Why?" ask Press. When you start out hating government, you can't make government work.

Press goes on to trace modern conservatism from Robert Taft to Bush II, en-route bemoaning Regan as setting the record for widespread corruption, only to be beaten by Bush II.

The "bad news" about "Train Wreck" is that it's oversimplified. Goldwater, for example, had no interest in pursuing the gay/lesbian issue vs. the Armed Forces, clearly was a budget control hawk, and brooked no dishonesty. On the other side, liberals have made a mess out of most social programs - especially education and health care.

So, what we need is a third, pragmatic approach - a focus on making government more effective.

Bill Press makes an excellent case that conservatives are, by nature, unfit to govern. As he puts it in the introduction (page 3, Hard Cover) "Given the chance to govern, conservatives tried and failed. Everything they touched, they trashed."

Why is this so? For many years, now, the right wing has strongly asserted that government is part of the problem, not part of the solution; that government virtually never does anything right, and that private enterprise always does it better than government. Why, then, would they want to demonstrate the fact that they have been wrong all along, by making government work well? As Press puts it on page 231 (HC):

"Granted, the federal government is not the solution to ALL social problems. There are many tasks that families, churches, cities and states, or nongovernmental organizations can perform better. But there are many large-scale tasks that only the federal government can handle efficiently and effectively." [emphasis added] I would add that economists recognize two major areas where government can be expected to perform better than private enterprise, (1) where there are significant spillover benefits and (2) where there are economies of scale over the all (or nearly all) of the relevant size range (natural monopolies).

Spillover benefits occur when persons who do not participate in a market transaction benefit from that transaction. The classic example is national defense, from which it is to be expected that everyone benefits, whether or not they pay for it. Other examples are police and fire protection and education.

The classic example of a natural monopoly is garbage collection. If two or more competing garbage collection services are running trucks over the same streets, that uses more labor and more fuel and wears out more trucks than doing the same job with one truck and one crew.

Press goes on to say: "You'll never make government work, however, if you start out hating it, undermining it, refusing to fund it, or treating it only as a means of increasing your own personal wealth and power." As he put it on page 230, "It's no accident that the three most corrupt administrations of modern times-Nixon, Reagan, and Bush 43-have all been conservative, Republican administrations. Payola goes hand in hand with conservative rule. So much so, that Professor Alan Wolfe identified it as the second most common trait of conservative governance."

And now that that most corrupt of all administrations is out of office, the Republicans are proving once again Press' thesis. In the Murfreesboro, Tennessee Daily News Journal for 22-Feb-09, under the headline "GOP bitter about loss at the polls," Cynthia Tucker writes: "Indeed, congressional Republican leaders seem more interested in finding a cudgel to wield against President Obama and other Democrats in 2010 than in rescuing the nation from the worst economic calamity since the 1930's." Who could be more unfit to govern than those who place partisan advantage above the welfare of the people and even the survival of the nation?

[...]

watziznaym@gmail.com

This is a book that in sharp language recalls the history of the conservative failure. "It began with Robert Taft... It was fueled by the intellectual fervor of Russell Kirk and William F. Buckley Jr. It picked up steam and political power with Barry Goldwater. It peaked in influence with Ronald Reagan and Newt Gingrich. It crashed and burned with George W. Bush." (p. 1) Bill Press adds near the end of the book: "For the last forty years, conservatives have dominated the political debate. And for most of that time, conservatives have held key positions of power." (p. 227)

Nonetheless it may seem a bit premature to announce the end of the conservative revolution that begin, as Press has it, with Senator Robert Taft in opposition to FDR's New Deal; however I think there is an overriding reason having more to do with science, technology and globalization than it has to do with politics, for believing that Bill Press is right.

Most people, especially people who might be called "the salt of the earth" tend to the conservative. This is evident in small town life, in the boardrooms of giant corporations and in the small business community. The reason for this is simple: these people have adjusted to their environment. Consequently any change can be threatening to them. In fact it has been argued that there is a genetic component to being conservative that affects a certain significant portion of the population. Perhaps that number is similar to the percentage of people who still support George W. Bush even after what he has done to this country. In other words probably about 25% of the population can be described as "congenital conservatives." That's a nice starting base, certainly larger than the perhaps five to ten percent who could be called DNA liberals.

Being conservative is--or I should say, has been--the right default because throughout human history following the tried and true ways was usually the wisest course. Usually. In times of upheavals, great environmental, political or social challenges, people willing to embrace change have come to the forefront. Often they are young and disenfranchised, or just plain more knowledgeable about what is going on than their counterparts on the other side of the tribe. But those times have naturally been less frequent than times of stability. And stability is what we all need to live our lives in peace with the possibility of prosperity.

But what is happening today, with the rapid acceleration of technology and the great reach of ideas from one culture to another, prohibits a strictly conservative view. There are great changes taking place almost overnight everywhere around the world. Consequently the immediate prospect and the long term prospects are for change, some of which will be momentous. To adapt to this world in flux we must be ready to change ourselves. We must reinvent our economies and our political institutions. We must do this carefully with open minds and with the knowledge that comes from science, technology, and hands-on experience. We can no longer accept faith-based solutions to problems or rely exclusively on what worked yesterday or on what Authority tells us is the right course.

One of the most glaring failures of conservatism comes from the very core of its philosophy: a distain for government. Again, as Press points out, people who hate government and want to shrink it as much as possible, are seldom good at governing. What we need in the years to come are politicians that believe in government and are willing to work hard to give us the best government possible.

It is for these reasons that I believe, along with Bill Press, that old style conservatism is dead. As he puts it: "If the Republicans were a restaurant, they'd have been closed by the Board of Health. If they were a building, they'd have been condemned. If they were a Hollywood starlet, they'd be in rehab." (p. 1)

Yes, the failures of not just George W. Bush, the neocons and the right wing evangelicals, but the failure of conservatism in general to meet the challenges of the 20th century will condemn them to the sidelines in the 21st.

This is not a book written in political speak or in line with the notion of being "fair and balanced." This is polemic, a 248-page rant against the abuses of power and the derangement of ideology that have characterized the conservative movement during our lifetime. Press spells it out in no uncertain terms: loss of honor at home and abroad; failure to govern responsibility; loss of prestige and respect abroad; subversion of the Constitution; aiding and abetting our enemies, robbing the treasury for cronies; head in the sand and faith-based science and technology; the trashing and polluting of the environment; secretive and dishonest governance; corruption on an epic scale--and more.

Conservatives beware. You will not like this book. Liberals rejoice, because here it all is, all the political horrors you've lived through (and some before your time), presented eloquently and with enough bite to satisfy the spiciest of tastes.