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May 29, 2008 at 11:47:41
Failed Conservative Values: Jim Dean on Corruption by Edwin Rutsch Page 1 of 3 page(s) |
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I interviewed Jim Dean, Chair of Democracy for America (DFA) at the Democratic Party Convention in San Jose, California. I asked Jim how conservative values have failed. He says current conservativism is like a despotic dictator and is about corruption, power and the rewarding of friends.
Failed Conservative Values: Jim Dean on Corruption 
Jim Dean
Edwin: If progressive values are responsibility, what is the opposite? What is the value on the conservative side then?
Jim: Well, I’m not sure about that. I think the conservative -- or what is a conservative -- is going through a period of redefinition. I think that’s going to last awhile.
If we look at things that Barry Goldwater, and even William Simon stood for, what’s happened with that has changed dramatically. It’s not the party of Barry Goldwater and William Simon. It’s turned into the party of Manual Noriega, or whoever your favorite despotic dictator is.
You know, it’s very corrupt in the way that they operate. It’s all about power and rewarding their friends. It’s become something – even the free enterprise stuff – they talk about getting rid of government regulation, but what they are really doing is subsidizing very large businesses that in many respects aren’t competitive or don’t act in the national interest any more.
So there’s a lot of corruption of thought on that side. And I think it’s going to take a while for them to sort themselves out. I don’t think it’ll return to necessarily the total free market conservatism or even the values conservatism, because they found that both of those really don’t work in today’s society. But what that’s going to end up really looking like is something I don’t know yet.
Edwin: One question I’m having is have conservative values failed?
Jim: Well, I think they have, because they just don’t work in today’s society. I think a lot of this has to do with particularly the conservative religious folk who have really been trying to take over the political process, and, in fact, did succeed in many respects over the last eight years.
So, when they talk about a woman’s right to choose, equal rights for everybody, they tend to be on the wrong sides of those issues. And being on the wrong side of it doesn’t mean disagreeing with me, it means being for something that doesn’t work in today’s society.
To say that gay and lesbian people shouldn’t have the same rights as every other American simply doesn’t work in today’s society.
Edwin: What is the underlying value behind that?
Jim: I think the underlying value is their belief that his nation has some religious component to its politics. That means that their interpretation of the Bible is the way that all the rest of us are supposed to live.
And that’s not what we are. This nation was founded on tolerance. Tolerance for different people, for different religions, for different cultures. That’s why we became as great as we have, and why our democracy has really been the greatest civilization, or social experiment, as some have called it, in the history of this world.
ProgressiveSpirit.com
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| 6 comments |
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I hate to tell you
but hang out in any political crowd and you'll find: ambition, cronyism, and deceit. by Laudyms (0 articles, 1142 quicklinks, 10 diaries, 708 comments [138 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Friday, May 30, 2008 at 1:51:05 AM  (0+)
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Reply: conservativism has taken it to new highs -
or lows depending on how you look at it. They've also been good at relativising corruption, that is to say, "everyone does it, we're all greedy, everyone is just in it for themselves, it's a dog eat dog world, so why try.. why hope,, why fight it". sounds like you've bought into their relativising of their failed conservative values. or am I misunderstanding your point? by Edwin Rutsch (64 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 155 comments) on Friday, May 30, 2008 at 2:27:00 AM (0+)
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Reply: on the contrary
I fear most career Democrats long ago gave up community mindedness for gamesmanship. And I don't like it one bit! There was a bizarre moment yesterday on CNN with Anderson Cooper and Gergen discussing McClellan's charges with an ethicist! (wish I'd caught his name) Their world views weren't in the same universe! I imagine there are a few politicians, even some GOPers, who are not all-game-all-the-time. Mighty few. The lesser of two evils has brought us very near the end of any meaningful democracy. by Laudyms (0 articles, 1142 quicklinks, 10 diaries, 708 comments [138 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Friday, May 30, 2008 at 8:45:51 PM (0+)
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Reply: see the new Jim Dean post
in the second post he talks about the progressive values of responsibility and participation.. perhaps participation of the citizens is a solution? by Edwin Rutsch (64 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 155 comments) on Friday, May 30, 2008 at 11:12:54 PM (0+)
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Reply: see the new Jim Dean post
in the second post he talks about the progressive values of responsibility and participation.. perhaps participation of the citizens is a solution? by Edwin Rutsch (64 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 155 comments) on Friday, May 30, 2008 at 11:12:55 PM (0+)
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Reply: Citizenship
(participation) is indeed the solution. But having just spent the last 10 years or so encouraging it (with minimal results) in post-colonial Hawaii, I'm mostly burned out. I'm old enough to have been through this before so I know I just need a rest, but there must be some way to get people going besides looming disasters. Many here insist participation is only for those who want to vent or show off. In other words, powerlessness is inevitable. It's not, of course, but it's a potent self-fulfilling prophecy. by Laudyms (0 articles, 1142 quicklinks, 10 diaries, 708 comments [138 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Sunday, Jun 1, 2008 at 3:44:33 PM (0+)
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