Those who live in free market societies believe that growth, prosperity and, ultimately, human fulfillment are created from the bottom up, not the government down …
The societies that have achieved the most spectacular, broad-based progress are neither the most tightly controlled, nor the biggest in size, nor the wealthiest in natural resources. No, what unites them all is their willingness to believe in the magic of the marketplace.
Ronald Reagan, September 1981
Stop the presses: US fast food company Chick-fil-A — once targeted by LGBTQIA+ groups for its owners’ stance on marriage equality — has hired a “director of diversity”.
An extremely common practice, it has nonetheless been picked up by various figures and think tanks associated with Donald Trump as an example of something something woke mind virus something, and then, inevitably, taken by far-right grifters somewhere even uglier.
Similar hectoring and calls for boycotts have happened at other huge US companies such as Kohl’s, Target and Bud Light over recent months (and as if to underline the deeply capitalist nature of all this stuff, Bud Light produced a backflip as comical as it was contemptible).
Ah, but surely the squalling of a few opportunistic outrage merchants isn’t a sign of anything much regarding the party they generally support? Actually, it’s the latest example of an interesting turn for the party of free markets, free speech and limited government:
Zodiac KillerTexan Senator Ted Cruz demanded that the Beer Institute, the American beer industry’s self-regulatory body, conduct an investigation into Bud Light’s short-lived partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis dedicated considerable energy in the lead-up to his presidential run to a prolonged fight with corporate behemoth (and sought-after wedding venue) Disney after its workforce pressured the corporation into criticising his law prohibiting public school teachers from discussing sexuality and gender identity in the classroom. DeSantis has attempted to wrest oversight of the land belonging to a private enterprise, removed special status from the company, and threatened them with new regulations and taxes. In response, Disney has scrapped plans to build a new campus in central Florida that would have reportedly employed 2000 people.
- Republican lawmakers in at least 12 states have announced plans to introduce bills attacking investing by private companies that take into account environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors. This has come in the form of either barring state money managers from considering ESG factors when investing, or blacklisting certain firms, such as in West Virginia, which barred five of the largest banks in the US from receiving state banking contracts because the banks were apparently involved in “boycotts of fossil fuel companies”.
- In 2021, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell warned major domestic airlines in the US that they would “invite serious consequences” if they continued to speak out about the GOP’s voter suppression laws.
- When Republican-led state legislatures attempted to stop people crossing state lines to seek an abortion where the procedure is banned in their home state, the Biden Justice Department said it would fight such laws, on the grounds they violate the right to interstate commerce.
- During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Republican governors in Texas, Florida, Alabama and Montana all made moves to prohibit private companies from imposing vaccine requirements on their workforces.
The label ‘conservative’ is completely wrong for these politicians, if it is supposed to link to Edmund Burke’s belief in conserving and respecting institutions of state, and avoiding radical changes. ‘Hypocritical radical authoritarian reactionaries’ is closer, with a strong dash of rancid nationalism and a fondness for white supremacy, although each individual politicians and supporter will have their own mix-and-match grab bag of these tendencies. Just about everything they say they believe is contradicted by the things they do.
And so on.
The point of Conservatism is to create, support and maintain the Aristocracy.
https://pages.gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/agre/conservatism.html
That’s because hypocrisy is not seen as a failing, but as a privilege of class.
Exactly. I’ve been saying for many years that we are still in a feudal society. Look at the Stage Three tax cuts. It is the government’s job to milk the proles and peasants for money to pay to the wealthy – who are, of course, the new aristocracy. The people who had the brains and the lack of conscience to rise to the top, and even get a label for it… Or, the grandchildren (great grandchildren?) of people who schemed, butchered, and plundered their way to the top. The nobility. The wealthy. The powerful. Lords and peasants are humankinds… (sorry, I’ve been woke) mankinds natural state of being. Look at how the MAGA masses bow to Trump, in a country that espouses democracy. These peasants recognise a true Lord when they see one.
Well said.
And so on: there’s also the oven-ready moral code (“religion”) which basically says trust me, we believe the same things, look them up in the book. The claim to be “of faith” cannot be questioned, let alone verified, despite requiring no more than microbial levels of scepticism to reject.
Yes. And I should have included
Fascism writ large.
Some describe it as nativist or nationalist (Christian) authoritarianism, masquerading as ‘conservative’ via sociocultural wedge issues, for middle aged and older votes, to vote against the interests of younger generations e.g. Trump & in UK Brexit.
“Those who live in free market societies believe that growth, prosperity and, ultimately, human fulfillment are created from the bottom up, not the government down …”
You just have to admire the gall of these humans, its up there with Putin.
The US West was opened up and paid for by Govt. The Louisiana Purchase, The purchase of the US South West after defeating Mexico, the Alaska Purchase from the Russians; The “clearances” removing Indians from prime land by the US Govt; the gifting of Indian land for 10 miles either side of the (to be built) Railroad tracks; and so on to the huge purchases of materiel from the many US Companies nowadays.
Interesting distortion of supposed free market ‘libertarian’ ideology, supported by oligarchs or <0.01% e.g. Koch’s ‘owning’ GOP, but in fact masking deep seated intolerance to the free market, liberal democracy, free speech, government, regulation, taxes etc. etc.
What do they offer? Corrupt white Christian nationalist authoritarianism with faux ‘free market’ types also demanding constraints and/or dog whistling identity, immigration, voting etc.; it’s reflects an Anglo culture informed by looking back to 18-20thC class order, or eugenics.
That all the Evangelicals back the toxic Republicans is outrageous. Hypocrisy from both sides.
I’m sure people living in Cancer Alley in the US, or parents of children dying from benzene related illness due to BP gas flaring in Southern Iraq, or the damage to health and environment due to Chinese lithium mining in Indonesia (and so on) would have appreciated a little ESG