In the American Conservative magazine, noted libertarian Lew Rockwell says modern Conservatism has become as bad as Communism. He points to blind party loyalty, militarism, and hostility to liberty. He opines that the Left makes more sense on policy issues these days.

See Lew Rockwell’s American Conservative column here: Lew Rockwell says Conservatism is as bad as Communism.

Lew Rockwell is among the better known libertarian voices. On his website, LewRockwell.com, you will find articles from many different writers, of all political stripes, expressing various libertarian-friendly viewpoints.

In his American Conservative article, Rockwell explores the meaning of the terms “conservative” and “liberal” in modern context. Essentially, the modern conservative is a classic liberal from the old days, except that he harbors a strong anti-freedom streak — and both traits are the antithesis of “conservative” as Rockwell understands the term.

Rockwell theorizes that people call themselves “conservative” nowadays because they are not engaged in critical thinking; instead, they are merely following their blowhard heroes in the media. He suggests pretty strongly that if “conservatives” engaged in critical thinking, they would call themselves something else entirely, or they would follow different policies that were truly conservative.

In conclusion, Rockwell pulls no punches in declaring modern American “conservativism” as bad as Communism, due to its blind devotion to State (as long as the State is run by Republicans), its hostility to individual liberty, its embrace of militarism, and its acceptance of classic liberal big government.

Excerpts from Lew Rockwell’s American Conservative column: Lew Rockwell says Conservatism is as bad as Communism.

Granted, the corruption of conservatism dates way back—to the Reagan administration, to the Nixon administration, and even to the advent of the Cold War, when conservatives signed on to become cheerleaders of the national security state.

But it’s never been as bad as it is today. They sometimes invoke the names of genuinely radical thinkers such as F.A. Hayek and Ludwig von Mises. But their real heroes are talk-radio blabsters, television entertainers, and sexpot pundit quipsters. They have little intellectual curiosity at all.

In many ways, today’s conservatives are party men and women not unlike those we saw in totalitarian countries, people who spout the line and slay the enemy without a thought as to the principles involved. Yes, they hate the Left. But only because the Left is the “other.”

This is why they fail to see that the Left has been making a lot more sense on policy issues in recent years. It is correct on civil liberties, on issues of war and peace, and on the critical issue of religious liberty. By “correct” I mean that in these areas the Left is saying precisely what the liberals of old used to say: as much as possible, society ought to be left to manage itself without the coercive intervention of the state.

RadMod’s take on Rockwell’s theory that modern conservatism is as bad as Communism

Rockwell is a credible articulate commentator, unlike myself, and when he speaks it carries some weight. I highlighted his article because I think he is unto something.

There is little “conservative” about the Republican Party, and there is little admirable about its opinion leaders. And the blind loyalty of Republicans to the governing Party is kinda scary. The Bush Government can almost do no wrong.

Sometimes I like to imagine what the Republicans would be saying if a Democrat were in the White House in these times. You and I both know that the Republicans would be screaming we’re going to Hell in a handbasket due to the incompetence of this administration. It’s inconceivable that Hannity and Limbaugh would he trumpeting about how great things are. It’s inconceivable that they would be such blind supporters of the war in Iraq. …… And, of course, the Democratic president would have been impeached and convicted for lying about WMDs.

In the REAL war on terror [not Iraq], if the Democrats were in control and engaging in broad surveillance of innocent citizens, then the Republicans would be demanding accountability, oversight, proper authorization, etc. The Republicans would impeach a Democratic president for ordering surveillance in violation of law. But with Republicans in control, we see a vigorous effort to persuade us that accountability is unnecessary, that we should almost blindly trust the government with these new dictatorial powers … Those who think otherwise are demonized as traitors.

We see near-blind loyalty toward George W. Bush and Republicanism, and we see hatred expressed against non-Republicans as being threats to the nation. And, we see generally poor results in governance. Yes, Rockwell is probably right, modern conservatism has become as bad as Communism.

A Libertarian Democrat is vigorously pro-personal liberty, and believes government can play a constructive role in regulating our economy and providing a social safety net.

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In the American Conservative magazine, noted libertarian Lew Rockwell says modern Conservatism has become as bad as Communism. He points to blind party loyalty, militarism, and hostility to liberty. He opines that the Left makes more sense on policy issues these days.

RadMod’s take on Rockwell’s theory that modern conservatism is as bad as Communism

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