Onyx Lynx

I am reminded by Digby by way of Batocchio that the situation we're in was diagnosed by Phil Agre in 2004.

I am referring, of course, to "What Is Conservatism and What Is Wrong with It," which Avedon links to about once a year, and which, because I've assumed that anyone who reads this also reads The Sideshow, I've never bothered to mention.

Q: What is conservatism?
A: Conservatism is the domination of society by an aristocracy.
Q: What is wrong with conservatism?
A: Conservatism is incompatible with democracy, prosperity, and civilization in general. It is a destructive system of inequality and prejudice that is founded on deception and has no place in the modern world.

These ideas are not new. Indeed they were common sense until recently. Nowadays, though, most of the people who call themselves "conservatives" have little notion of what conservatism even is. They have been deceived by one of the great public relations campaigns of human history. Only by analyzing this deception will it become possible to revive democracy in the United States.

There are ideas one may want to argue with, not to mention references current in 2004, but the analysis is on the money.