Welcome to the Post Conservative Era

The election of 2006 marked the end of the era of the conservative. Reading an article in Der Spiegel (via Watching America, a website I highly recommend for all progressive thinkers) led me to believe that we are entering the Post-Conservative era of American politics. The writers point out that the Conservative Right were correct about two main issues, free markets and communism.

Now, with Ronald Reagan dead and Margaret Thatcher senile, the conservative movement is now led by the likes of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. While I believe Reagan actually did have the U. S.'s interests at heart, I believe the latter day conservatives, the Neocons, have little in common with the last Republican I'll ever vote for. We have seen deregulation become air support for corporate consolidation, free-market capitalism become plutocracy, small government become something more akin to a Soviet-era apparat. The Right has abandoned fiscal responsibility. All that's left of the movement is its inertia and, as we saw in 2006, that is running down.

What will follow, I have no idea. I don't think we'll return to the Liberalism of the '60's and I hope we don't mimic the apathy of the '70's. What I hope will emerge is a Democratic leadership motivated by the needs of the people and sensitive to the needs of business. Perhaps our new post-Conservative leadership will take action on global warming, restore the balance between haves and have-nots but one thing is certain, the Right will not die immediately. Conservatism might be on life support but a patient on life support can endure a long time.

I'm reminded of those who, forty years after the victories of the civil rights movement, are still racist. For a long, long time there will be pockets of Reagan conservatives out there preaching the old gospel and attacking those of us who have found another way. The Religious Right will not go away overnight, either, although their betrayals by political leaders may keep them out of politics for a while. We will have to deal with cries of "death tax" and "war on terror" and "soft on defense" and "entitlements" for a long time to come but election 2006 shows one thing: We've turned the corner. The Reagan Conservatives are a dying movement.